Downtown rush hour traffic was thrown into chaos yesterday afternoon, when one block of 5th Street, between Colorado and Broadway, was closed while officials investigated a fire in a parking garage.
At about 4:30 p.m. black smoke began billowing out of the parking garage attached to the Courtyard Hotel at the corner of 5th and Colorado. While no flames could be seen from the street, multiple police and fire units responded within minutes.
The street was closed to all traffic for about two hours with cars coming off the freeway diverted onto Colorado.
According to a statement issued by the Santa Monica Fire Department (SMFD), Engine 6 responded to 425 Colorado for a reported car fire at 4:27 p.m. Following the initial dispatch, Fire Com received additional information and upgraded the response to a "structure assignment."
"Engine 6 arrived to find a vehicle on fire in the underground parking located on sub level 1. SMFD rapidly deployed hose lines and aggressively attacked the underground fire in very low visibility conditions.
"Due to the swift actions during the response, the fire could not spread and was contained to the vehicle of origin. SMFD companies remained on scene for extensive smoke removal from the parking area and interior of the structure," the statement read.
The SMFD has also confirmed that the vehicle was a Volkswagen Bus, but information on the cause of the fire has not yet been released.
matt@smdp.com
