SANTA MONICA—A fire at an apartment complex broke out on Thursday, November 30 near Ashland Avenue.
At around 2:05 am, the Santa Monica Public Safety Communications Center received several calls about a structure fire at 302 Ashland Avenue near Third Street and the Ocean Park community. Firefighters were dispatched immediately and, according to the Santa Monica Fire Department, arrived on the scene in around 4 minutes and 31 seconds.
Firefighters arrived on the scene to find the second and third floors of the building damaged by extensive flames, and flames still burning through the building inside. The firefighters quickly entered the residence and began searching for any victims trapped within the flames, and found that the fire was confined to one large, two-story apartment. They aggressively fought the flames. Due to the severity of the fire and the size of the apartment, Santa Monica firefighters dispatched a “2nd alarm,” requesting for help from the Los Angeles Fire Department.
The fire broke out inside a unit occupied by a family of 4. The family awoke to the smell of smoke and the sounding of smoke detectors and escaped the apartment without suffering any injuries.
The fire was contained within 30 minutes, and was confined to the apartment unit of origin which consisted of a two-story open floor plan occupying the second and third floor of the building. Only minor smoke and water damage impacted one adjacent unit within the 12 unit building. One family was displaced and there were no injuries reported to the occupants or first responders. A total of 42 firefighters were on scene with the Santa Monica Police Department and the American Red Cross. A total of 12 people were displaced from their home as a result of the fire.
The amount of damage to the complex has not yet been disclosed to the public or an exact cause of the fire which is still under investigation.
