Downtown LA's Morrison Hotel, made famous by The Doors, damaged in massive fire

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A massive fire Thursday heavily damaged a historic downtown Los Angeles building that once housed the iconic Morrison Hotel, made famous by The Doors.

Firefighters responded to the vacant four-story building in the 1200 block of Hope Street just before 11 a.m., according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

More than 100 firefighters battled the blaze for over an hour and a half before they gained control of the flames, according to the LAFD.

The building was once the home of the Morrison Hotel, which became popular after famed L.A. rock band The Doors featured it on the cover of their 1970 album, "Morrison Hotel."

Morrison Hotel made famous by iconic The Doors album cover will rise again as low-income housing.

The album cover shows the group - singer Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore and guitarist Robby Krieger - posing under the "Morrison Hotel" sign on the building's window.

Fire officials said the building was vacant for more than 15 years and was a frequent training site for LAFD, which helped crews battle the blaze Thursday.

"Firefighters made their way up and located heavy fire on the fourth floor," LAFD said in a statement. "The well-developed fire breached the roof and triggered the Incident Commander's decision to move to a defensive operation."

Several dozen people had exited the building before crews arrived, and when firefighters made their way inside, they found three more people on the third floor and used ladders that had been raised to fire escapes to evacuate them, according to the LAFD.

LAFD spokesperson David Ortiz said those who evacuated the building are believed to be unhoused.

"It was hot, and the flames were ripping through those windows," said witness Ian Lester, who was visiting from Utah.

No injuries were reported and no other structures were damaged, fire officials said.

Investigators will determine the cause of the fire.

A year ago, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation announced it acquired the property for $11.9 million and planned to convert the building into low-income housing.

The future of the building resides with the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety, the LAFD said.

City News Service contributed to this report.