A downtown Los Angeles office building sustained no structural damage when an underground blast rocked the structure, causing a fire and injuring a handful of people, a spokesman for the landlord said today.
Two people were hospitalized and two others suffered minor injuries from the explosion, which occurred at 811 Wilshire Blvd. at 10:17 p.m. Thursday, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said.
The blast caused a fire that was quickly doused, Bruce Beck, a spokesman for building landlord Jamison Services, told City News Service.
Power was restored Friday afternoon to 12 buildings that lost electricity due to the explosion, but the 19-story building where the blast occurred, which was red-tagged following the blast, was still without service today.
The explosion ruptured pipes and caused some flooding, authorities said. The red tag designation means the building cannot be occupied.
Beck said a third-party engineering firm hired by Jamison Services and the city Department of Building & Safety have confirmed the building is structurally sound.
The building houses a mix of large and small commercial tenants, Beck said.
Building inspectors red-tagged the structure because the explosion made its electrical and fire-safety systems inoperable, Humphrey said.
Joseph Ramallo of the DWP announced about 4:30 p.m. Friday that the 12 other buildings that lost power in the area, near the intersection of Wilshire and South Flower Avenue, had electrical service restored.
The cause of the explosion and fire remains under investigation, Beck said.
Reports that the blast occurred in a basement generator that provides power to the building were untrue, since the building’s power generator is atop a parking structure across an alley from the building, Beck said.
According to Ramallo, inspections “have indicated extensive damage to LADWP’s on-site industrial power station.”
Firefighters helped evacuate some occupants from the 811 Wilshire, but no rescues were needed, Humphrey said.
A man and a woman were hospitalized for back pain and a headache, Humphrey said. Two other injured parties were checked at the scene but declined treatment, he said.
The 119,000-square-foot building was largely unoccupied due to the time of the blast, Beck said.
“Jamison is providing temporary space in nearby buildings and escorting tenants to their suites over the weekend to gather necessary items,” he said.
The explosion caused a momentary power outage at Staples Center, where a Shania Twain concert was underway Thursday night.
Jamison Services is the second largest landlord in Los Angeles, according to Beck, who said the company owns about 18-million-square-feet in downtown Los Angeles and Koreatown.
Most of the firm’s portfolio consists of commercial office buildings, along with some multi-family buildings, Beck said.
