There are still unanswered questions in the December 8 fire that devastated a large part of developer Geoff Palmer’s half-built downtown Da Vinci apartment complex, but some new information is trickling in.
Federal and local officials declared the fire was an act of arson on Dec. 18, but it’s still unknown who set the fire and why. Nor has there been a complete accounting for the fire’s total cost. Damages to the Palmer property alone have been estimated at $20 to $30 million, but figures for the extensive damages to the adjoining Caltrans freeways and their infrastructure, as well as to the nearby City of Los Angeles’ DWP headquarters and Department of Buildings and Safety, have not yet been released.
It appears that damage to the proximate Los Angeles County Department of Health facilities, which include the department headquarters and a large health services center, were relatively light, according to the county’s Department of Risk Management.