When is a Fire Normal?

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — When is a fire you see in a window normal? When it’s in the Jewelry District, apparently.

A couple weeks ago I was on my way into work when I noticed orange flame in an upper window of the State Theatre building (if you click on the photo you’ll get a more zoomed out view). I’d walked that same path 100 times and not noticed that, so it stood out as something odd. Was the building on fire? Should I report it?

I stood there for a few minutes to see if it would either go away or get worse. It didn’t. It just stayed there, flickering.

Finally I walked into the lobby and told the security guard that I saw flame. He listened, and then said it was normal. Turns out the jewelry tenants melt down gold and such, and apparently do it near the window.

So how do you tell an intended flame from an unintended one? I have no clue.