Major Fire In Downtown LA Injures 3; Firefighters Take About An Hour To Knock It Down

Just about noon Saturday, an explosion and fire rocked an industrial block in downtown Los Angeles, sending a plume of smokehigh in the air above the 700 block of S. Kohler Street. The "major emergency" sent 140 firefighters to the scene.

"Firefighters encountered three men, two of them burned critically, injured as a result of the fire," said Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson Brian Humphrey. "L.A. firefighters were able to hold the fire to the building of origin in roughly 60 minutes. The building however was destroyed in the fire."

The specific business operating at the time of the explosion is currently unclear. A sign on the building appears to belong to Radix, a wholesale textile company.

Humphrey says the cause of the fire is under active investigation.