Firefighters found a body in the aftermath of an early morning blaze Tuesday at a century-old residential high-rise in downtown Los Angeles.
Crews responded at 2:02 a.m. to the Rosslyn Hotel, a 12-story low- income residential building at 112 W. Fifth St., between Main and Los Angeles streets, where they found flames in a corner unit and smoke spreading through seven floors, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
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It took about 100 firefighters 50 minutes to knock down the blaze, LAFD spokeswoman Margaret Stewart said. The body was discovered inside the unit where the fire began, the LAFD said.
Equipment-laden firefighters had to climb the seven floors, "as elevators are only used under specific conditions not met in this incident...," according to Stewart.
The response was quickly escalated to a Major Emergency incident, she said.
Once they got to the unit where the fire started, firefighters had to contend with "excessive storage conditions that obstructed access to the seat of the fire," Stewart said.
"They were able to quickly limit and control the fire while working to get through the debris," she added.
A cat was rescued and appeared to be in good shape, according to Stewart, who said the feline was with L.A. Animal Services.
Other than the fatality, no injuries were reported.
Most residents sheltered in place, though some evacuated, according to Stewart.
Building and Safety inspectors were called to assess the structure, and the LAFD Arson Unit and Counterterrorism Section also responded, which is standard in fatal fire investigations, Stewart said.
Burned debris could be seen piled on the street below the apartment.
Two units -- the one where the fire started and an adjacent one that was vacant -- were "yellow-tagged," restricting access to the apartments, she said.
"The rest of the building was reopened and residents were able to repopulate," Stewart said.
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