(Image source from: Los Angeles Times)

A dramatic fire erupted Thursday morning at an abandoned church in University Park, prompting a response from more than 130 Los Angeles firefighters.

The stubborn blaze broke out soon before 6:30 a.m. at a 19,811-square-foot, two-story structure in the 700 block of Washington Boulevard, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

The intensity of the flames at first forced the firefighters to take on a defensive position. They afterwards attacked the fire with hoses on the ground and atop the 1924-constructed church.

No injuries were instantly accorded.

More than an hour after the firefight began, Los Angeles Fire Department Captain Erik Scott said crews were making "good progress" against the blaze.

"The first arriving firefighters got on scene and saw the large two-story structure with extensive fire billowing out the front door and second-story windows," Scott said. "We may have had a brief offensive attack, however we were driven back by the intense flames."

#BREAKING Firefighters respond to massive blaze at abandoned church near downtown Los Angeleshttps://t.co/4ygDE7gjT5 pic.twitter.com/5oSS6jaWI3

— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) October 4, 2018

The blaze sent plumes of thick, black smoke up into the air over nearby freeways, causing traffic disturbance for hours.

"Firefighters strategically surrounded all sides of the building and have been pouring water from the outside in," Scott said.

The origin of the fire is still unknown.

-Sowmya Sangam