Eric Richardson [Flickr]

A passerby surveys the ruined merchandise brought outside 117 E. Winston, site of the morning fire.

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — Residents of the Old Bank District got a noisy surprise this morning, as 73 firefighters responded to a fire at 117 E. Winston. The building, on the north side of Winston between Main and Los Angeles, is primarily used as a warehouse.

LAFD worked quickly, issuing a notice of smoke showing at 8:12am, and a notice for the knockdown at 8:40am.

As of just a few minutes ago, Winston and a stretch of Los Angeles street remained closed, with crews cleaning up and packing their gear. Piles of soggy, colorful toys were strewn on the sidewalk, and a stream of water ran toward the gutter on Los Angeles street.

Externally, damage to the structure did not appear major.

SEE ALSO: Joe Cornish writes up the fire from his vantage point in the San Fernando building.