> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Fire ravages couple’s home - URL: https://www.smdp.com/fire-ravages-couples-home/ - Published: 2008-01-31T16:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-24T18:14:22.000Z - Author: Guest Author - Tags: Real Estate & Housing, Santa Monica, #archive-import *An early morning blaze is limited to just one bedroom* *By CHIARA CANZI Special to the Daily Press* An elderly couple was evacuated from their apartment on Euclid Street early Wednesday morning after a fire burned down their bedroom, officials with the Santa Monica Fire Department said. No injuries were reported, but the couple was treated for minor smoke inhalation. The couple lived on the second floor of the 1047 Euclid apartment complex and called 911 just after 1 a.m. “My wife woke up and said there were flames in the room,” said evacuee Phillip Malouf. “We got out as soon as we saw the fire, but we lost everything.” The fire was reported at 1:02 a.m. and the flames were fully contained in just 17 minutes, a SMFD dispatcher said. Eyewitnesses said three fire engines and a ladder truck were used in taming the fire. “It took them at least three hours to get done completely,” said a neighbor who asked to remain anonymous.“I was sleeping and I woke up when I heard the sirens, and living right across the street from it, I could see the flames in the bedroom.” He soon went out to check on the couple. “I saw them and other people from the building standing there with no coats on a cold night,” he said. “It was bad.” The cause of the fire is still unknown, but Malouf said he may have an idea on how it started. “It could have been a short circuit with our electric heater,” Malouf said. “Before going to bed, my wife pulled the drapes in the bedroom and accidentally covered the heater. Next thing I know there were flames everywhere.” Malouf said the age of the building could have had something to do with how the fire started. “These buildings are so old that the wiring is old and it’s never replaced,” he said. The Santa Monica Red Cross was at the scene of the fire to help the Maloufs find temporary housing. “We got there one hour after the fire was out,”said Mark Solnick, director of emergency preparedness and response with the Red Cross, “It was cold and smoky and we were there to provide for the people, give them comfort, shelter and food if necessary, especially to the woman, she was pretty (shook) up.” The Red Cross took the elderly couple to the Travelodge on Pico Boulevard where they will stay until they can file an insurance claim and find long-term shelter. “There is nothing good about fires,” Solnick said,“but the wonderful thing here is that the firefighters were really good to confine the fire to the bedroom,”without damaging any other room in the apartment. Yet, Malouf said they won’t have a home to come back to. Malouf said all their valuable items in the apartment were destroyed by the flames and smoke in the bedroom. “My wife had a beautiful $1,000 coat, and it’s now gone,” he said. “Her diamond rings are missing and we lost every single item of clothing in our closet.” Solnick assured them that they won’t be alone. “We are ready to give them what they need,” he said, “We are there to provide the baby steps needed in rebuilding their lives.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/013108-03_01.jpg) (Photo: BY CHIARA CANZI Special to the Daily Press) *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 31, 2008.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/013108.pdf?ref=smdp.com)