SMFD fire station goes up in flames
By Daily Press staff
Chances are if a fire breaks out, the best place it could happen is the fire station.
Not the case Thursday night when a fire broke out at the Santa Monica Fire Department’s station #2 on Hollister Avenue.
The station is under construction and not yet in operation. Fire fighters rushed to the scene at about 9:30 p.m., but they were unable to save the entire structure.
The two-alarm fire caused about $500,000 in damages to the second floor and attic of the facility, which has been under construction for more than a year.
Fighter fighters saw heavy smoke pouring out of the building when they arrived on scene. The blaze was first discovered on the upper floor of the station, which was only weeks away from completion.
The blaze was extinguished about 10:15 p.m., officials said.
The fire gutted the upstairs rooms and parts of the building’s attic. The large garages used to house the fire trucks suffered only minor smoke and water damage.
Officials could not say how long the opening of the station would be delayed.
All 39 on-duty Santa Monica fire fighters were called to the scene to combat the flames that torched their new home. They were joined by six fire fighters from Los Angeles Fire Department Station 63 in Venice Beach.
LAFD also provided mutual aid for the rest of the city, and answered a small number of minor calls for assistance during the fire, SMFD spokeswoman Jill Barnes said.
It was not immediately known what caused the fire. SMFD investigators were combing the scene for clues late Friday afternoon.
Nobody was in the building when the fire broke out, and the fire department did not have any equipment stored at the station.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 20, 2002. Read the original PDF.