LA Fashion District Fire Caused by Textile Company

Risk Logic Inc. (RLI) is a consulting engineering company that provides Loss Prevention Services. Since 1997, we have been working in regions all over the world utilizing the most advanced and current standards.

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September 1st, 2023

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

On Wednesday, August 30th, a large fire broke out in Ruby Textile, a two-story building in the downtown Los Angeles Fashion District. Thick smoke filled the air, creating the appearance of a massive cloud over all of the surrounding. The fire ignited a little before 6:00 AM. Over 120 firefighters arrived within minutes of the call to battle the fire during an ongoing heatwave in LA. Firefighters shut down surrounding streets until they could deem it safe to enter the area again.

LA firefighters battle fire at the Ruby Textile company.  

The Ruby Textile company was in business for over 15 years and sold rugs, towels, clothing, and blankets. Several other companies located next to the store also suffered damages from the fire. The building partially collapsed, and rescuers fought the flames by breaking through the roof shortly after 7:00 AM. The collapsed roof forced rescuers to move from working on the inside of the building to the outside for their safety. 

Downtown Los Angeles Fashion District filled with flames and clouds of black smoke that could be seen from miles away.

No injuries reported.  Emergency workers razed the building by 10:00 AM to prevent additional damage or possible injuries.  The source of the fire remains under investigation. 

Picture of the Ruby Textile company and its surrounding small businesses.

It appears that automatic sprinklers were not provided in the building. Automatic sprinklers provide the most effective fire protection overall and may have prevented this devastating fire loss if properly designed, installed and maintained..

Risk Logic engineers can complete a property loss prevention inspection to help avoid a fire at your facility. Risk Logic also offers Property Lite inspections for commercial buildings in strip malls, apartment buildings, and more. Our consultants can survey any sized commercial property. Please contact Risk Logic for more information.