Fire Erupts at Huntley Hotel in Santa Monica
December 10, 2017 12:48 AM
On December 9th, 2017 at 7:26 p.m. the Santa Monica Fire Department received multiple reports of a fire at the Huntley Hotel located at 1111 2nd Street in the City of Santa Monica. Fire crews arrived minutes later and found a large volume of fire visible on the exterior of the top floor of the 18 story high rise building. Due to the complexity of the building, a 2nd Alarm was immediately requested which brought in crews from the Los Angeles Fire Department. As hotel guests were evacuating, Firefighters quickly made their way up stairwells to “The Penthouse” restaurant located on the top floor. Moderate offshore winds fanned the flames which broke out glass windows and spread the fire into the restaurant. Fast acting staff used fire extinguishers to fight back the flames until Firefighters made their way up to fight the fire.
It took 40 Firefighters just 18 minutes to completely suppress the blaze, limiting most of the damage to the exterior with only minor fire and smoke damage within the restaurant. Paramedics treated 7 patients suffering from smoke inhalation. Fortunately, no one required to be transported to the hospital.
The fire appeared to start on the exterior of the building within the decorative polystyrene moldings. Fire Department investigators sifted through the debris and were unable to find a specific cause, however they did not suspect any foul play. With the exception to “The Penthouse” restaurant, the hotel was able to remain open and guests were allowed to re-enter the hotel and continue their stay. Santa Monica Police provided assistance with traffic and crowd control. No injuries to first responders occurred.
Media Contact
Patrick Nulty
Fire Captain
Patrick.Nulty@SMGOV.NET