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# Electrical fire destroys Sixth Street apartment
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/electrical-fire-destroys-sixth-street-apartment/
- Published: 2002-11-13T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T00:54:30.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Real Estate & Housing, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*By Daily Press staff*

An electrical fire gutted a rear apartment at a Sixth Street complex Monday night.

The fire started at about 9:51 p.m. in an unoccupied ground floor unit used by the manager of the apartment complex, which is located at 1147 Sixth St.

Santa Monica Fire Department dispatched 24 firefighters, who arrived at the scene almost immediately. They had the fire under control and extinguished within minutes.

The fire was contained to one unit, and smoke and water damage is believed to not have affected any adjacent apartments.

Santa Monica police officers closed off part of Sixth Street at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard while firefighters put out the fire and made sure the fire did not spread to any adjacent apartments.

Fire investigators believe the fire may have been started by faulty electrical wires. But before the fire could be extinguished, it had melted the apartment manager’s stereo, television and other electronics into a solid lump of plastic.

The fire had spread to the walls and ceilings, and destroyed the contents of at least two bookshelves that lined opposing walls.

Though a specific number was not immediately available Tuesday, damages are estimated to be in the tens of thousands of dollars, according to the fire department.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/111302-05_01.jpg)

A local firefighter investigates the damage in an apartment that burned Monday. (Photo: Andrew H. Fixmer/Daily Press)

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 13, 2002.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/111302.pdf?ref=smdp.com)