MARINA DEL REY, Calif.—A yacht club that has been a fixture in Marina del Rey for half a century was consumed by flames overnight, injuring two firefighters and leaving longtime members and patrons devastated Dec. 12 by the sight of a local institution left largely in rubble.
The flames were reported around 11:30 p.m. Monday at the California Yacht Club in the 4400 block of Admiralty Way, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. The fire quickly went to a second alarm as on-scene commanders summoned more resources to the scene.
Two firefighters suffered injuries described as moderate while battling the flames and were taken to a hospital. Both were treated and later released.
The yacht club was founded in 1922 in Wilmington Harbor near San Pedro and the current facility in Marina del Rey was built in 1967, according to the club’s website.
Jeff Jackson, a Marina del Rey resident and longtime member of the club, shot cell phone video of the fire from his nearby 14th-floor condo. He told reporters the club was a welcoming gathering place.
“It just breaks my heart,” Jackson said. “I don’t know what they’re going to do for Christmas. ... It doesn’t feel like a yacht club at all. It just feels like—I call it my ‘Cheers’ bar because it’s just so warm and inviting and as soon as you walk in the door, it’s ’Hi J.J., how are you? How are the kids?' And so it’s a very personal club. And I think anyone who is a member knows what I’m speaking of and the warmth and love we feel for them and they feel for us.”
Jackson said the club had recently switched to new owners, who were considering plans for remodeling the building.
A man who said he was the club’s former owner told OnScene.TV his father helped build the structure in the 1960s.
“This has been my home for, you know, 40 years, 50 years,” he said. “... It’s been a home for so many people. We are so heartbroken right now.”
According to reports from the scene, two employees may have been inside the building when the fire broke out, possibly near the kitchen. The cause of the blaze, however, remained under investigation.
The fire was restricted to the building, and no boats were damaged.
