A massive structure fire destroyed a building and threatened multiple businesses in Santa Clarita on Monday morning.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department reported a 2-alarm fire in the 24000 block of North Main Street in Santa Clarita just before 3 a.m. Monday, with flames and smoke showing in the building. Firefighters were in “defensive mode” and were not entering the building due to risks of it collapsing.
Firefighters broke down the building to extinguish the fire in the attic and the walls and the blaze was knocked down at 8:57 a.m., according to the Fire Department.
Crews are now salvaging what they can from the building; the fire’s cause is under investigation, according to the department. No injuries were reported.
Video from KTLA showed streams of water being blasted onto the roof from ladder trucks. KTLA identified the building as the Newhall Refinery, a local brewery.
Just about 5:45 a.m., some of the building front collapsed, sending firefighters scrambling to get out of the way, video from the scene showed.
Firefighters took a defensive posture, battling the blaze from outside the building.
(Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)
Several roads around the business were shut down. The blaze didn’t affect Metrolink service.
Laura Scott works across the street from Newhall Refinery at Remax Gateway and has known the owners for at least five years. She said she heard the fire had spread to the Main Theater.
“The majority of Main Street is women-owned businesses including Care Tucker Style House and Newhall Refinery,” she said.
“Waking up this morning to find out that it was engulfed in flames was absolutely heartbreaking and devastating. I know how hard these business owners work to keep these doors open and these were their dreams to own this store or restaurant.”
Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger expressed her condolences in a statement to those affected by the fire.
“My heart goes out to the business owners in Old Town Newhall who woke up this morning to devastating losses,” she said. “These are small businesses that are part of the fabric of this community, and for some owners, years of hard work and livelihoods were destroyed in a matter of hours. Our focus now is on supporting these business owners as they begin the difficult process of recovering and rebuilding.”
The area impacted by the fire was the “heart of Old Town Newhall” and Santa Clarita’s “premier arts and entertainment district,” according to Carrie Lujan, communications manager for the city.
“People go into the Main, they look at the art that’s there, they go to the Refinery for food, they’re shopping at Care Tucker, so it really is the central place of Main Street and of Old Town Newhall,” she said. “It’s just devastating to see what happened today.”
The fire damaged the most historic neighborhood in the city, right across from William S. Hart Park near the Walk of Western Stars. The Main, a theater space, was also damaged in the fire.
“These are places that are unique to Santa Clarita and kind of add to what makes our community to special,” Lujan said. “They’re not chain restaurants or stores, they’re places that people chose to build here and to lay down roots of their businesses, so it’s always sad when we lose those places. These are our friends, our families and our neighbors who worked at these places.”
Local businesses also mourned the loss of the restaurant and surrounding buildings.
“Aside from having some of the best and innovative food in our valley, we partnered with Newhall Refinery on several farm to table dinners,” Old Town Newhall Farmers Market wrote on Facebook. “So for us, this especially hurts. Remember to get out and support local. Every single time.”
Good Times LA Photo Booth wrote on Facebook that it was “heartbreaking to see a place we’ve visited and loved, along with so many other local businesses, impacted in this way.”
“We are praying for every business owner, every employee, every family, and everyone whose lives have been affected. We pray for strength, healing, restoration, and hope in the days ahead. Newhall is strong. Our community stands together. We love our Main Street.”