Highrise Fire - First Interstate Bank Los Angeles (May 4, 1988)

Height to roof: 262 metres
Date built: 1974
Use: Office
Location: Los Angeles, United States
Architect: The Luckman Partnership

When completed in 1974, the First Interstate Tower was the tallest building in the United States west of Chicago. The building is square, tapering 2 metres as it rises. The four faces are clad in dark glass and mullions. In 1988, a fire destroyed five floors. Since then all high rise building in Los Angeles have been fitted with sprinkler systems.
On Wednesday, May 4 and continuing in to May 5, 1988, the Los Ange les
City Fire Department responded to and extinguished the most challenging and
difficult high-rise fire in the city's history. The fire destroyed four
floors and damaged a fifth floor of the modern 62 story First Interstate
Bank building in downtwon L.A., claimed one life, injured approximately 35
occupants and 14 fire personnel, and resulted in a property loss of over
$50 million.
This was one of the most destructive high-rise fires in recent United
States history. The fire presented the greatest potential for the
"Towering Inferno" scenario of any U.S. fire experience and was controlled
only through the massive and dedicated manual fire suppression efforts
large metropolitan fire department. It demonstrated the absolute need
automatic sprinklers to provide protection for tall buildings.
A total of 383 Los Angeles City Fire Department members from 64
companies -- nearly one-half of the on-duty force of the entire city --
were involved in fighting the fire, mounting an offensive attack via four
stairways. This operation involved many unusua 1 challenges, but is most
notable for the sheer magnitude of the fire and the fact that the fire was
successfully controlled by interior suppression efforts. To cover areas of
the city protected by units called to the fire, 20 companies from Los
Angeles County and four companies from surrounding jurisdictions were brought in under mutual aid agreements.

The First Interstate Bank building, the tallest in the city (and the
state of California), is located at the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard
and Hope Street in downtown Los Angeles. It was built in 1973, one year
before a high-rise sprinkler ordinance went into effect, and had sprinkler
protection only in the basement, garage, and underground pedestrian tunnel.
The 62-story tower measures 124 feet by 184 feet (22,816 sq. ft.). It
contains approximately 17,500 net square feet of office space per floor,
built around a central core. It is occupied primarily by the headquarters
of the bank corporation with several floors occupied by other tenants.
Approximately 4,000 people work in the building.
The fire extended at a rate estimated at 45 minutes per floor and
burned intensely for approximately 90 minutes on each level. This resulted
in two floors being heavily i nvolved at any point during the fire. The
upward extension was stopped at the 16th floor level, after completely
destroying four and one-half floors of the building.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Highrise
• Fire
• Skyscraper
• Madrid
• Thermodynamics
• Heat
• Transfer
• Steel
• Melt
• Temperature
• Thermite
• Demolition
• Implosion
• WTC
• World
• Trade
• Center
• 9/11
• 911
• September
• 11
• 2001
• Fires
• Office
• Alloy
• Metal
• Metallurgy
• Case
• Study
• Science
• Evidence
• Building
• Beijing
• Caracas
• Bangkok

[b07rivera]

IranContra, I'm just wondering that could it be that those two Boeing 787s jumbo jets and its fuel that melted the steel structure forced the twin towers to collapse the way it did back in september 11th?

[IranContraScumDid911]

@b07rivera No.

[b07rivera]

@IranContraScumDid911

Come on, IranContra give me more information than that.

[IranContraScumDid911]

@b07rivera Gotcha, there is good reason I said no, I have thoroughly done my research. It is a long story. Subscribe, and we will discuss it along the way. Peace, friend.

[IranContraScumDid911]

@b07rivera Building 7 was not hit by an airplane. The basic fire triangle tells us the fires were very pooly combusted. Steel goes through molecular phase change at certain points, far above non-ox assisted class A/B fires. I have videos that clearly show the impact of the North Tower fall to WTC 7 is minimal, the road is clear between the two. Galileo said it would take 9 seconds in a vaccum to dive off the Towers, the 1/4 mile steel towers fell in 10 seconds. 110 floors - 1 second resistance

[IranContraScumDid911]

@IranContraScumDid911 I have videos where there are loud clear audible explosions all day long ending in a crecendo right before the tower collapses. I have many videos of eyewitness accounts. The building facade is seen smoking for days on top of the inner pile, uncrushed by any collapse scenario. The window frames are still square for GOD's sake. The facade is cut vertically into three pieces, not crushed and stacked. This fire is case study, considered evidenciary in science.

[Tomaji69]

@IranContraScumDid911 - Exactly!...now here's a true thinker!!

[blinko656]

I think this is the fire that the B/C along with others came in from the top and made a attack. I took his class. (I think)

[JMMT7022801]

I vaguely remembered the First Interstate Bank building fire raging in downtown L.A., years ago, when I was 11 and living in Vegas.

This particular fire of course happened a couple years after the MGM Grand caught fire on the Strip back in the early eighties.

[ZombieFanG35]

2nd plane hit the building on the side and the fuel fell on the outside...

[plasticineporridge]

@hotters70603ben Yes, but the twin towers were hit by two big, speeding aluminum bullets filled with jet fuel. Much damage was done even without the fire.

[hotters70603ben]

@b07rivera There are lots of high rise steel buildings that have burned severely and it never collapsed the way the Twin Towers did on 9/11. The Empire State Buidling was hit by a B-25 airplane and was severely damaged but never collapsed! The Madrid Plaza building is 38 story skyscraper that was severely burnt from the top floors just like the Twin Towers and yet never collapsed. 9/11 had to have been an inside job!

[BurkeDevlin66]

3:18 and not one drop of water

[OzzyPatriot]

@b07rivera 'forced the twin towers to collapse the way it did.'

I think you may be being sarcastic. But THE WAY they did, is where you should start then. See the excellent AE911truth (Architects and Engineers for 911 truth) channel for info on how the buildings collapsed. It will take you some hours - but if professionals can't shake your MSM beliefs of 911. I doubt you'll accept the words of people who have simply spent years researching with skepticism and yet remain amateurs.