LA Fire: Massive Size Destroys Construction Site, Closed Freeways, Arson Possible Cause? [PHOTOS + VIDEOS]

LA Fire - In downtown Los Angeles, a massive fire which may have been intentionally set Monday has destroyed a seven-storey apartment building that is under construction. The LA fire even spread to a neighbouring high-rise before the blaze was largely extinguished within 90 minutes, according to the Associated Press.

Fourteen floors sustained smoke, fire or water damage, and the building was closed for the day, according to Katherine Main, a spokeswoman for Los Angeles City Fire Department.

The flames from the LA fire spread to an adjacent 16-floor high-rise office tower, where it consumed about three stories of that edifice.

This neighboring office building sustained heat damage. However, firefighters were able to keep the flames from the LA fire from encroaching on that structure, added Main.

The LA fire caused flames rising into the air, visible for miles. Ash also rained on a large area, hence forcing an eight-mile stretch from portions of U.S. 101 and Interstate 110 to shutdown through rush hour, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Commuter traffic, which is already slow-moving on good days, remained jammed long after rush hour because of the LA fire. Vehicles were visible backing up for miles even after the freeways have been reopened.

The LA fire began erupting about 1:30am local time Monday. Fire Department Chief Ralph Terrazas said that it took 250 firefighters, roughly a quarter of the city's total on-duty force, to bring the LA fire under control.

No injuries or casualties were reported from the LA fire, said Main.

The LA fire caused an estimated $10 million in losses to the complex, said city fire Capt. Jaime Moore.

Caltrans have since started shifting their focus on making up to $1.5 million to repair the freeway after the LA fire. As for law enforcement, the focus is on investigating how the LA fire began, and if it had been intentional. According to officials, they believe it was highly likely that the LA fire had been intentionally set.

Local and federal investigators are now planning to examine the debris, check surveillance video from nearby buildings and utilize special dogs that can smell fire accelerants.

By nightfall, arson investigators have yet to enter the unsafe structure engulfed by the LA fire. However, fire officials said the fact that the LA fire erupted so quickly and over a large part of the building might means arson was likely to be the cause.

"It's very rare for the entire building to be engulfed at once," Moore told the Los Angeles Times. "There may have been foul play."

The LA fire's heat was reportedly strong enough to burst or even crack windows in the three nearby structures which housed city and county offices, including the city Department of Water and Power, which reported cracks in at least 160 of its 10-by-4-foot windows.

Three floors of an adjacent building were also damaged by the LA fire. 14 other floors also sustained water damage, forcing the building to close for the day.

"Large windows gave under the amount of heat," said Moore. He added that sprinklers were activated on six of its floors. "There was active fire on three floors."

Moore also said that firefighters have managed to get inside both buildings and prevent the LA fire from spreading further.

The burned structure from the LA fire, which was still in the framing stage of construction, was planned to be a 1.3 million-square-foot residential building. It is reportedly one of a series of very large complexes that had gone up downtown in recent years.

Named the "Da Vinci", the structure was to be an Italianate 526-unit complex with amenities such as a pool, full-sized basketball court, library, theater and business center.

Developer Geoffrey Palmer also built the Orsini and Medici complexes.

"We would like to thank the men and women of the Los Angeles Fire Department for their bravery, swift actions and effective response in putting out the fire," Palmer said.

"... Though we have temporarily lost Building B, we will be opening Building A across the street at the end of January to those families looking forward to occupying their new homes," he added.

Since flames could be seen for kilometres when the LA fire broke out, some people took to posting on social media shots from as far away as Hollywood Hills. Other photos and video posted also captured flames rising up to the air as motorists drove by.

A video from KTLA showed heat from the LA fire burning freeway directional signs and even melting the plastic traffic bumps in the roadway, reports the Sydney Morning Herald. The video also showcased much of the apartment building burning to the ground.