--- description: Investigators say arsonists responsible for massive Los Angeles fire title: Arsonists Responsible for Massive L.A. Fire image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2eb4a8f2abf3c4b9/6987700fa988ca4da26ab85f/time-a-fire-la-141219.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Investigators Say Arsonists Responsible for Massive L.A. Fire  by [Eliana Dockterman](/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Correspondent Dec 19, 2014 2:21 AM CUT  Los Angeles firefighters battle a fire in the seven-story Da Vinci apartment complex under construction in downtown Los Angeles. on Dec. 8, 2014. Los Angeles firefighters battle a fire in the seven-story Da Vinci apartment complex under construction in downtown Los Angeles. on Dec. 8, 2014.Damian Dovarganes—AP  by [Eliana Dockterman](/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Correspondent Dec 19, 2014 2:21 AM CUT Federal investigators [believe](http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-investigators-conclude-massive-downtown-la-fire-was-arson-20141218-story.html "undefined") a fire that took down an entire apartment complex in downtown Los Angeles last week was set on purpose. It took 250 firefighters an hour and a half to put out the blaze at the Da Vinci apartment complex after responding to an initial call at 1:09 a.m. on Dec. 10. Local authorities will likely launch an arson investigation, the Los Angeles _Times_ reports. Authorities say they are searching for two unidentified witnesses who were on the scene at the Da Vinci apartment complex, where the fire took 250 firefighters an hour and a half to put out. A surveillance video caught one man walking down the street near the building before the fire began, and the other was seen on news footage trying to get through a construction fence and move toward the building once the fire was burning. Investigators said they determined that arson was likely given how quickly the complex burned. The fire consumed half the building before the firefighters arrived, despite the fact that the fire station was just a few hundred yards away, and the damage was estimated to be worth tens of millions of dollars. \[[_Los Angeles Times_](http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-investigators-conclude-massive-downtown-la-fire-was-arson-20141218-story.html "undefined")\] ### See the Crazy Fire That Engulfed Downtown Los Angeles  Firefighters rush to a large apartment building fire in downtown Los Angeles on Dec. 8, 2014. Alamy Live News  Firefighters battle a fire at an apartment building under construction in Los Angeles on Dec. 8, 2014. Mariana Rosales—EPA  A large fire at an apartment building under construction rages in Los Angeles on Dec. 8, 2014. Damian Dovarganes—AP  Firefighters battle a blaze at an apartment building under construction in Los Angeles on Dec. 8, 2014. Gene Blevins—LA DailyNews/Corbis  Firefighters battle a blaze at an apartment building under construction in Los Angeles on Dec. 8, 2014. Damian Dovarganes—AP  Firefighters battle a blaze at an apartment building under construction in Los Angeles on Dec. 8, 2014. Michael Meadows—EPA  Firefighters battle a blaze at an apartment building under construction in Los Angeles on Dec. 8, 2014. Gene Blevins—Reuters  Firefighters battle a blaze at an apartment building under construction in Los Angeles on Dec. 8, 2014. Gene Blevins—Reuters  Los Angeles County firefighters battle a blaze at an apartment building under construction next to the Harbor CA-110 Freeway in Los Angeles on Dec. 8, 2014. David McNew—Getty Images  More than 200 firefighters work to control a fire that lit up the skyline as it destroys a seven-story building under construction in downtown Los Angeles on Dec. 8, 2014. Benjamin Dunn—EPA ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3641386/los-angeles-da-vinci-complex-fire/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3641386/los-angeles-da-vinci-complex-fire/"},"headline":"Investigators Say Arsonists Responsible for Massive L.A. 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