LOS ANGELES — Fire engulfed a huge apartment complex under construction in downtown Los Angeles, closing a freeway and snarling traffic for morning commuters.
The blaze started at about 1:20 a.m. Pacific time Monday and drew more than 250 firefighters, said Peter Sanders, a Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman. The northbound 110 freeway reopened midmorning after being closed while emergency vehicles used it as a staging ground. No injuries were reported. An arson investigation is underway, Mayor Eric Gar cetti and Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas said Monday.
The structure is Building A of the Da Vinci complex, which was on schedule to open in January.
The building, at 906 N. Fremont Ave., has more than 1.3 million square feet.
To rebuild the property to completion may cost more than $150 million, based on similar developments in the area, according to Carlos Serra, a managing director at brokerage Jones Lang LaSalle Inc.
A hillside adjacent to the burned building was littered with ash and charred documents after the fire.
The structure was reduced to a smoldering pile of wood, with metal stairwells remaining intact.
The building, set to include amenities such as an indoor basketball court, library and theater, is one of at least three apartment developments G.H. Palmer Associates has under construction downtown, according to the company’s website.
Rents at other buildings by Palmer downtown start at about $2,200 a month for a two-bedroom, two-bath apartment.
