A fire at an industrial building in Hollywood that houses multiple recording studios left one man dead and two other people suffering from smoke exposure Thursday night, according to authorities.

L.A. Fire Capt. Erik Scott said a call went out at 5:42 p.m. for the blaze in a large, two-story building. Seventy-eight firefighters knocked down the fire at 6600 W. Lexington Ave. in 51 minutes, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

The building’s layout and interior construction made for a challenging firefight, Scott said, and the recording studios had significant amounts of insulation and double drywall, which concentrated the heat.

“Our firefighters took a beating,” Scott said.

The blaze started on the first floor and spread to parts of the second, and Scott said areas of the first floor were completely burned out. The building was not fully occupied when the fire broke out.

One man was found dead on the first floor, Scott said. Dogs trained to detect human remains were sent in to sweep the building as a precaution.

Two people with respiratory symptoms related to smoke exposure were evaluated and declined to be taken to a hospital, according to the Fire Department.

Several units remained on scene past 9 p.m., and part of Lexington Avenue was cordoned off by yellow tape.

No firefighters were injured, authorities said. The fire’s cause is under investigation by LAFD arson investigators.

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Gregory Yee is a reporter for the Los Angeles Times. Before joining the newsroom in 2021, he spent five years covering criminal justice and breaking news for the Post and Courier in Charleston, S.C. He is a native Southern Californian and graduated from UC Irvine in 2012 with a degree in journalism and Spanish literature.