VIDEO: For the first time in the United States, a robotic firefighting vehicle was used Tuesday to battle a major emergency fire in downtown Los Angeles, officials said.
The fire broke out in a textile business and spread to an adjacent building, and more than 130 firefighters extinguished the flames and prevented them from spreading further. The greater-alarm fire broke out before 4:45 a.m. in a one-story building in the 800 block of South Crocker Street.
Crews arrived on scene to find that the building contained “stacks of rolled textiles,” the L.A. Fire Department reports. The textiles served as fuel to help spread the flames, prompting the fire department to declare it a greater-alarm fire.
“What we have inside is an abundance of rolled goods, fabrics, textiles that are smoldering, piled very high,” LAFD Capt. Erik Scott said.
The blaze was initially brought under control within about 40 minutes. However, there was a flare-up on the northwest side of the building that forced LAFD to call in more crews.