Firemen's Grapevine

Attic Fire
Hollywood

Fire swept through the attic of the Magic Castle, leaving the 102 year-old mansion no choice but to postpone its planned week of Halloween festivities, which the private club had ironically dubbed “Inferno at the Castle.”

At 12:35 pm on October 31, 2011, 120 firefighters responded to the two-story, Victorian-style structure at 7001 West Franklin Ave. Because of the building’s compartmentalized construction and its complexity in design, the fire was able to conceal itself within the walls and attic. For a time, the fire seemed, almost, to prevent itself from being discovered and perhaps hoped to extend the theme of the magic club’s week-long promotion, on its own.

Firefighters were able to fully-extinguish the fire in just one hour and five minutes. Although its construction dates back to 1909, the mansion is now fully-sprinklered, which aided in the LAFD’s ability to confine the fire to its area of origin.

Photos by Gene Blevins, LA Daily News & Mike Meadows, EPN
Info by Matt Spence, PSO