California Apparel News

A major blaze destroyed a building at 1915 E. 7th St. during the early morning hours of Sept. 9, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

The flames gutted Payman Fabrics, a wholesale fabric firm. It occupied a 10,360-square-foot, one-story building near the corner of 7th and Mateo streets, which is a part of a burgeoning neighborhood of stylish restaurants and high-end retailers. Located a short drive away is Dover Street Market, co-owned by fashion star Rei Kawakubo.

No other buildings were damaged during the fire, according to a statement from Brian Humphrey, an LAFD spokesman. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation, and a dollar amount of the fire damage is still being calculated. A man who answered a phone at Payman Fabrics declined to comment on the fire. The company sold fabrics produced domestically and overseas as well as table covers and chair covers, according to the fabric company’s website.

It took firefighters almost three hours to knock down the fire, which started around 3:30 a.m. Humphrey said that three firefighters were hospitalized due to injuries sustained from fighting the flames. None of the injuries was considered life threatening.

This summer, there was another devastating fire located a short drive away from the intersection of 7th and Mateo. On July 11, 109 firefighters battled flames at 1220 S. Wall St. It took the firefighters nearly two hours to put out the fire, according to a story published in California Apparel News. The fire destroyed two childrenswear stores.