LONG BEACH — A long-standing Long Beach motel was gutted in a morning fire early last week.

No injuries were reported in a structure fire that ripped through Our Place at the Beach Motel, located at 1309 Ocean Beach Blvd. South on Wednesday, April 14 in Long Beach.

Fast-moving fire started on first floor

The fire, first reported at approximately 10:15 a.m, started on the first floor in room #114, according to officials at the scene, and rapidly spread to the second floor of the largely wooden structure.

About a dozen occupants and motel staff were safely evacuated from the two-story 22-room motel, which was mostly unoccupied at the time of the fire.

“The two boys were upstairs and we called them down to have breakfast,” said Christel Stauffer, 47, who was visiting with her three kids ages 23, 22 and 16. “By the time they knocked on our door it was too late for them to get their keys and wallet. They were up in the second room. I just thank god that they came down when they did. The building was already in flames before he could run up and get his car keys or wallet.”

Denise McKenzie was in her first floor room with her two cats when she noticed smoke roll past the bathroom window. McKenzie, 63, immediately began tossing shoes and other belongings out her window, which caught the attention of Long Beach resident Cahlabe Whelden, 21, who lives next door to the motel. Whelden sprang into action and immediately began to help evacuate McKenzie along with her two cats through a back window.

“My brother came in the room and said the motel was on fire and then I seen her (McKenzie) tossing a bunch of stuff out the window,” Whelden said.

On the north end of the hotel, another group awoke to a smoky smell before noticing smoke rising from the floor.

“We were in bed when we smelled something, but we thought someone was just making a fire,” said Mikayla Parker, 20, of Vancouver, who was staying on the second floor with two other friends to celebrate a birthday. Seconds later the seriousness of the situation became apparent.

“We looked to our left and black smoke started smoldering from under the floor, so we got the hell out,” said Austin Broersma, 21, of Camas.

Concerted effort among fire crews

Firefighters used a ‘trench cut’ to help contain the blaze, which acted like a choke point preventing engulfed center section from spreading to adjacent rooms, power lines and trees.

More than two dozen firemen worked in shifts attacking the fire continuously from different angles as block-wide billows of dense smoke wafted into a blue sky. The proximity of fire hydrants to the motel hampered firefighter efforts at first.

“The hydrants were two blocks apart and pulling from the same system, but with the help of a booster pump from Ilwaco water plant we were able to overcome that,” said Long Beach Volunteer Fire Department Fire Chief Kyle Jewell.

It was a concerted effort among several responding agencies to overcome the fire.

“It was good response by multiple agencies and we certainly appreciated it. We needed everyone there. It was a hot fire with a lot of old wood that burned rapidly,” Jewell said.

The fire was contained around 12:30 p.m., a little more than two hours after the initial call.

Fire departments from Ilwaco, Long Beach, Ocean Park and Chinook descended on the scene along with Medix Ambulance and Long Beach Police.

The fire is believed to have started on the first floor, but the official cause remains under investigation as of Tuesday, April 20.

Owner exploring rebuilding options

Anu Patel, owner of Our Place at the Beach, is exploring rebuilding options but said navigating the insurance and potential contractors has been a hurdle.

“We like being in town,” said Patel, 44, who also owns the Oceanview Inn at the Arch in Long Beach.

“But there’s so much construction that it’s hard to get a contractor and reasonable bids. Is it worth it to rebuild?” Patel said he appreciated the immediate outreach from the city, but remains uncertain if he will rebuild the motel or potentially purchase another.