SANTA MONICA—A fire broke out at the Pacific Plaza apartments on Wednesday, April 24. The Santa Monica Fire Department reported that at 8:19 p.m. they received multiple 9-1-1 calls about the establishment ablaze on 1431 Ocean Avenue.
Firefighters arrived on scene in three minutes to find a large volume of flames visible on the roof of the 15-story residential high-rise apartment building. Firefighters were required to ascend up the stairwells to gain access to the fire, carrying tools and special hose packs which were used to battle the fire. Fire Engines pumped water into the buildings “Stand Pipe” system, a required fire protection feature within all high-rise structures that gives firefighters the ability to connect their hoses to on upper floors, noted the SMFD in a press release.
The “2 Alarm” fire brought all 35 on duty Santa Monica firefighters to the scene, that took 28 minutes to contain. The fire was confined to the building’s roof, which burned approximately 50 percent of the roof. Minor water damage transpired to three apartment units below the blaze. The building was occupied at the time the fire broke out, but a functioning fire alarm system alerted residents to evacuate prior to firefighters arrival.
Fire investigators are working to determine the exact cause of the fire. There were no reports of any injuries to civilians or first responders during the incident. Assistance was provided by the Santa Monica Police Department, and the Los Angeles Fire Department covered multiple 9-1-1 responses in Santa Monica during the fire.
