Photo courtesy of SMFD Firefighters enter the front of a home that went up in flames early Tuesday. The fire began shortly before 6 a.m. in the single-family home in the 2900 block of Kansas Avenue. Santa Monica firefighters extinguished the blaze within 15 minutes, said SMFD Capt. Scott Ziegert. The blaze, the cause of which is unknown, caused extensive damage to the front portion of the single-story home, Ziegert added. An elderly Santa Monica couple living in the house was treated at a local hospital for smoke inhalation and minor cuts.
A firefighter investigates an electrical panel that burst into flames on Tuesday at Exhale Spa at 1424 Second St. Firefighters, who responded to the electrical fire at 10:39 a.m., were able to extinguish it within minutes. Because it was an electrical fire, firefighters opted not to use water but instead used a powdery substance and carbon dioxide to extinguish the flames. While the fire was contained to just the electrical box, it forced the spa to close until Southern California Edison and the city’s building and safety department determine it is safe to operate in the building. Exhale representatives in Chicago, where calls were being referred, said they expected the Santa Monica spa to be open by Friday.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 15, 2006. Read the original PDF.