An early morning wall fire turned Major Emergency structure fire in Koreatown ends with a building saved.

At 5:24AM on October 20, 2018 the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to a reported structure fire in the 700 block of S Normandie Av in Koreatown.  Firefighters arrived to a four story, center-hall apartment building with people exiting through the front doors.  Although no fire or smoke was visible, crews immediately deployed into fire attack and roof ventilation operations and located fire in the basement.  Further investigation located pockets of fire in walls on the first and second floors. 

Firefighters strategically opened sections of walls to extinguish fire while determining the extent of the fire's spread.  The size of the building (54,152 square feet) and potential for a working attic fire led the Incident Commander Assistant Chief Kwame Cooper to request additional units and raise this to a Major Emergency status.

The efficient and precise efforts of the firefighters successfully prevented a dangerous attic fire and limited damage to the building.  The structure, built in 1926, contained 76 units and occupants were evacuated with only one resident requesting medical evaluation by LAFD paramedics but did not require ambulance transport.

106 firefighters achieved knockdown in one hour and 30 minutes.  While the cause of the fire is under active investigation by LAFD Arson and Counter-Terrorism Section (ACTS) (based on protocol for a Major Emergency structure fire) it appears the fire originated in a first floor utility room and traveled to the basement via a light well and then through the walls to the attic.