And then there’s the fire at the Fenmar Apartments
The Fenmar Apartments on the Boardwalk at 8
Brooks Avenue was gutted by fire March 17. Three Firemen were injured fighting
the blaze. Several pets were reported killed or missing.
Residents of the 19-unit structure told the
Beachhead that the fire started in the third floor apartment on the north west
corner of the building. It quickly spread throughout the ancient brick building.
Fire trucks were lined up and down
Speedway, Brooks and Pacific. Also present were lots of LAPD, the Red Cross, a
vehicle from the Housing Code Enforcement Division, Building and Safety and
Animal Control. One of the owners, Brad Neal, lived in the penthouse above the
third floor. The fire report lists José Bunge as another owner. Neal is
also managing the Venice Circle building housing Channel One Video (see story on
this page).
The Fenmar, which was a
hotel in the early days of Venice, last came to the attention of the community
several years ago when the new owner displaced the ground-floor tenants and
converted their apartments into a Tattoo parlor and other tourist-oriented
stores.
Contents amounting to $500,000
were reported destroyed and an estimated $200,000 in structural damaged was
sustained.
Neal told the Marina del Rey
Argonaut that he hoped to rebuild within a year and that tenants would have the
first right to return.
Tenants were
awarded $47,000 in emergency financial aid by the L.A. City Council at the
request of Cindy Miscikowski.
A report
that there had been a fire in the same building a month earlier could not be
confirmed at press time. Many other unconfirmed rumors continue to float around
the Boardwalk. However, it does appears that a cache of ammunition or fireworks
in one of the apartments helped fuel the fire.
According the the Fire
Department’s Arson Division, the cause of the fire is still being
investigated by Officer Mike Neu.
–Jim Smith
Posted: Tue - April 1, 2003 at 06:41 PM