A massive fire broke out Wednesday morning at the vacant two-story Hollywood Playhouse theater in Hollywood, generating huge flames and prompting a response from about 80 firefighters.
Video from ABC 7's AIR7 HD showed firefighters on adjacent rooftops and aerial ladders dumping water of the flames that were shooting through the roof of the theater, which eventually caved in.
The blaze erupted shortly before 9 a.m. .
The Los Angeles Fire Department told ABC 7 that the intensity of the fire initially forced firefighters to pull back into "defensive mode, with a focus on protecting the surrounding buildings first,"
No injuries were immediately reported.
Officials expressed concern that the walls of the burning structure, which was built in 1925, might collapse.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
