HOLLYWOOD - Fire burned through a two-story concrete industrial building on Thursday, May 19, 2022, killing one person.

Seventy-eight firefighters responded to the 6600 block of West Lexington Avenue at 5:42 PM to find a two-story commercial building with smoke showing. There was an abundance of small individual recording studios inside, creating a very compartmentalized layout, which was extremely challenging to navigate and crawl through in zero visibility. Additionally, the studios had sound deadening thick walls, extra insulation, double drywall, and thick windows. While this design was intended to keep the sound from escaping, it also excelled at keeping the smoke and heat from escaping. Firefighters inside took a beating during a very hot and intense battle, but were relentless and extinguished the flames in 51 minutes.

During the fire fight, two patients were found with smoke-related respiratory symptoms. Firefighter-paramedics treated them on scene, and both declined transport. Tragically, during their systematic interior search, firefighters discovered one person deceased in the structure. Human Remains Detection K9s were called to search the area and, thankfully, did not find any other victims.

After the flames were extinguished, firefighters discovered marijuana upstairs, which appeared to be a grow operation. LAFD's Fire Prevention Bureau was notified and Fire Inspectors from the Cannabis Unit responded to review previous records, inspect the building, help determine if this was legal, and (in a joint effort with Fire Investigators) determine if it contributed to the cause of the fire. These investigations remain active (currently no conclusions have been made).