No, there was not a bank heist today in North Hollywood, as there was 11 years ago, the old bank building turned into restaurant/club on Lankershim Blvd., near the NoHo Red/Orange Line stops, is on fire. At 7:13 a.m. this morning, the fire was reported. One firefighter suffered smoke inhalation.

The fire burned between floors and in the attic area, said Ron Myers of the Los Angeles Fire Department. After about 40 minutes, firefighters determined that it was too dangerous to battle the flames from inside the building and went into a "defensive mode" outside the structure, Myers said. [NBC4]

The Bank Heist opened this past Fall (we reviewed it in November), featuring a restaurant, bar and a second-story club/performance venue. The space is a great addition to the redeveloping NoHo Arts District and we hope it makes a speedy and successful comeback.

*Update, 9:50 a.m.: The Los Angeles Firedepartment knocked down the fire within 2 hours and 15 minutes with 120 firefighters responding. There was one non-critical civilian injury and three firefighters with non-life threatening smoke inhalation were transported to the hospital.

Top photo from Bank Heist's MySpace Page. On scene photo by LAist Reader, Michelle Garcia of The Advocate