DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — I heard a lot of helicoptor noise when I woke up this morning. Then a couple sirens, and still the helicoptors. It was sound of the chopper standing still variety, so I knew something was going on. Then, walking over to Hill to catch my bus, I saw the remnants of a story between Broadway and Hill, where the alley cuts in to the Los Angeles Theater. Now it turns out the attention was over stranded painters:

Firefighters were sent to the 600 block of South Hill Street about 7:20 a.m., said Jim Wells of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

The men were equipped with safety harnesses that kept them from falling after part of their scaffolding gave way, Wells said.

Oddly, this is the second time I've walked by the aftermash of a stranded window washer story (err... so I thought, until this turned out to be painters).

Update (1pm): Later reports are corrected to say that these were painters, not window washers.