The outcome could have been very different after a fire broke out Tuesday at a well-known Hollywood venue, but the site emerged relatively unscathed, the owner said, chalking it up to “true Magic Castle magic!”
Randy Pitchford, owner of the Magic Castle, confirmed Wednesday that damage was minimal after a roof fire flared up at the property around 5 p.m. The almost 200-year-old Victorian-style building features pieces of historic art, artifacts, a museum and a library — all of which could have turned to ash, Pitchford said.
“It’s a wonder and a miracle — true Magic Castle magic!” he wrote in a statement on X. “The top floor offices and attic are pretty wrecked, but ALL of our important history [is] safe, sound, and undamaged!”
Pitchford confirmed that no employees or guests were injured. Ben Roman, an employee at the Magic Castle, said there were about 200 people inside the building when the fire began.
“Those of us in the office smelled smoke and immediately sprung into action and called LAFD and successfully and calmly evacuated the building,” Roman said in a post on Instagram. “Everyone is safe.”
According to Roman, the fire began while contractors were renovating the roof, on the third floor. Pitchford said the fire originated in the attic above the kitchen, which had recently been renovated at a cost of nearly $1 million.
“If the fire happened just one month earlier, the reaction would’ve been slower (more fire damage) and the damage from the water would’ve been unquantifiable and impossible to recover,” he said on X.
The Los Angeles Fire Department could not confirm the cause of the fire as of Thursday.
“Once the incident is over, unless they are doing an arson investigation, we are not involved with the next steps,” a Fire Department spokesperson told The Times. “We do not have any additional information about what took place that day.”
The fire was contained over the course of 40 minutes with 68 firefighters at the scene, Lyndsey Lantz, a spokesperson for the department, said in a statement.
As of Thursday, the Magic Castle passed inspection, according to Roman. The venue is scheduled to reopen Friday, he said.
The Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety did not immediately confirm if the building had passed inspection.
The three-story building first opened to the public in 1963. It serves as a clubhouse for the Academy of Magic Arts, a private organization for magicians and magic enthusiasts. It was originally built in the early 1900s before it was transformed into the Magic Castle, according to its website.
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