Scores of employees rushed to evacuate a seven-story office building in Culver City that houses TikTok’s U.S. Headquarters after an electrical fire ignited Wednesday.
People in the building reported hearing loud bangs when the fire began, and some employees had to be rescued from elevators amid power outages, according to Culver City Police Department spokesperson Jennifer Atenza.
Culver City police and fire personnel responded to 5800 Bristol Parkway at 2:14 p.m. And immediately evacuated the building, she said.
The incident unfolded with frightening speed and confusion.
First responders received reports that people could be trapped inside elevators.
The term “explosion” was also heard over emergency scanners during the response.
As firefighters and police converged on the scene, social media posts fueled speculation that an explosion had rocked the building.
But authorities quickly clarified the source of the emergency.
“There was what is believed to be an electrical fire and no signs of foul play,” Jennifer Atenza, Culver City Police Department PIO, told The California Post.
The fire originated deep inside the structure.
The fire, which originated on the first floor, was believed to be caused by electrical issues.
Firefighters tackled the blaze with remarkable speed.
Firefighters were able to swiftly extinguish it, while a building engineer and staff from Southern California Edison continue to assess structural damage and electrical issues.
Culver City police coordinated the response with precision.
Officers established a safety perimeter, managed traffic and road closures, and deployed the department’s drone to assist the Fire Department in assessment of the scene.
The Los Angeles Fire Department provided mutual aid to contain the situation.
Simultaneously, the CCFD personnel worked to extinguish the fire, with assistance from the Los Angeles Fire Department.
No one was hurt in the incident.
No injuries were reported among occupants or emergency crews.
Investigators confirmed the blaze was electrical in origin and have ruled out foul play.
The Bristol Parkway building holds massive significance for the social media giant.
These Bristol Parkway offices have been TikTok’s national headquarters since 2020.
The popular media company leases five floors of the seven story building, and the 120,000 square feet is workspace for about a thousand employees.
The building’s occupants were forced to flee without warning as alarms sounded and power died throughout the structure. Employees who had been working at their desks suddenly found themselves in darkness. Those trapped in elevators reported the frightening experience before emergency personnel could rescue them. The loud bangs from the fire’s ignition sent panic through the office as people scrambled toward exits.
Within minutes, Culver City’s first responders secured the building and began methodically conducting a search. The drone deployment allowed firefighters to assess damage from above while crews worked from the ground floor up. The mutual aid response from the Los Angeles Fire Department ensured sufficient resources were immediately available.
Once the electrical fire was extinguished and the building declared safe, employees who had gathered in courtyards and along surrounding streets were allowed to return to assess the damage. The swift response prevented what could have been a tragedy with nearly a thousand people in the building at the time of the incident.
Southern California Edison’s team will continue working alongside building engineers in the coming days to determine what caused the electrical malfunction and to ensure the building’s systems are safe for future occupancy.