Authorities in Los Angeles suspect arson fueled a downtown fire that closed down freeways, melted street signs and cracked the windows of nearby buildings.
The Associated Press noted that officials investigating Monday’s massive fire suspect arson because the fire spread quickly and caused significant damage.
"It's very rare for the entire building to be engulfed at once," said city fire Capt. Jaime Moore. "There may have been foul play."
More than 250 firefighters battled the blaze that started around 1:20 a.m. at the Da Vinci apartment complex.
The Los Angeles Times reported that by 5:30 a.m. Tuesday, crews began to reopen lanes of the U.S. 101 and Interstate 110. The roadways into the downtown area had been closed all of Monday morning, causing a traffic nightmare for commuters.
Authorities said that one of freeways where a street signed melted away sustained approximately $1.5 million in damage.
Investigators are combing through surveillance video and have dogs sniffing out any substances that may have been used to aid the spread of the fire. A federal investigation is expected.