Newly Restored Fire Engine 17 (Argonne Ave.) Swiftly Knocks Down 11 p.m.-hour Kitchen (Grease) Fire At ELB Hof's Hut (Bellflower/Stearns)

LBReport.com

News

Restaurant will be closed today and possibly tomorrow

If LBREPORT.com didn't tell you,
who would?No one in LBREPORT.com's ownership, reporting or editorial decision-making has ties to development interests, advocacy groups or other special interests; or is seeking or receiving benefits of City development-related decisions; or holds a City Hall appointive position; or has contributed sums to political campaigns for Long Beach incumbents or challengers. LBREPORT.com isn't part of an out of town corporate cluster and no one its ownership, editorial or publishing decisionmaking has been part of the governing board of any City government body or other entity on whose policies we report.

LBREPORT.com is reader and advertiser supported. Support independent news in LB similar to the way people support NPR and PBS stations. We're not non-profit so it's not tax deductible but $49.95 (less than an annual dollar a week) helps keep us online.

(Nov. 8, 2019, 10:10 a.m.) -- Newly restored Fire Engine 17 (based at Station 17/Argonne Ave.) was first on scene and swiftly extinguished an 11 p.m.-hour (after closing time) kitchen/grease fire on Nov. 7 at the Hof's Hut location on Bellflower Blvd. south of Stearns St. LBFD Capt./Public Information Officer Matt Dobberpuhl tells LBREPORT.com that Engine 17 were dispatched at about 11;34 p.m., arrived within about four minutes, found heavy smoke with flames in the kitchen area with fire reaching the roof via the kitchen's vent system.

LBFD firefighters had the blaze knocked down by roughly 11:45/11:49 p.m. and cleared the scene by about 12:50 a.m. No persons (civilians or firefighters) were reported injured.

In the 8 a.m. hour Friday Nov. 8, LBREPORT.com saw a steady stream of customers arriving for breakfast only to find these signs at the popular restaurants front and back doors for now.

[Scroll down for further.]

Through a window, workers were visible in the kitchen area appearently putting things back in order.

The bottom line: ELB Hof's Hut location is expected to be closed Friday Nov. 8 and may be closed the next day (not determined as of early a.m.) before re-opening.

Sponsor

Restoration of Engine 17 became effective on Oct. 15...and Engine 17's nearby response avoided dispatching an Engine from further away...with the general rule that a fire doubles in size each minute. In September 2019, the City Council voted (in an action sought by Councilman Daryl Supernaw since his March 2015 election) to restore funding for Engine 17 (a priority for Councilman Supernaw. mindful that in late Jan. 2014 (before he took office), a residence burned basically across the street from Station 17 which (under former Mayor Foster's "proportional budget reductions" approved by a former Council) lacked Engine 17 to douse the flames. (LBREPORT.com coverage here.)

Sponsor

However, despite LB voter approval of the 2016 Measure A General Fund ("blank check") sales tax increase (bringing City Hall roughly $60 million in additional revenue annually), the Council continued to balk at restoring Engine 17 (despite restoring Enginie 8 in Belmont Shore and Rescue 12 in LB. Finally in Sept. 2019, city management acquiesced and the Council agreed to fund restoration of Engine 17 on a temporary basis through FY21 (meaning Sept. 2021) instead of on a "structural"/committed continuing basis.

The Council's Sept. 2019 voted action has restored Engine 17 for a little less than the next two years using "one-time" (non-recurring) Measure A ("blank check") sales tax funds. What happens thereafter depends on future Council majority voted budget actions.

Sponsor

Help keep our independent news going and growing in Long Beach. No one in LBREPORT.com's ownership, reporting or editorial decision-making has ties to development interests or other special interests seeking or receiving benefits of City Council development-related decisions; or holds a City Hall appointive position; or has contributed sums to political campaigns for Long Beach incumbents or challengers. No one in our ownership, reporting or editorial decision-making has been part of the governing board of any City government body or other entity on whose policies we report. LBREPORT.com is reader and advertiser supported. You can help keep really independent news in LB similar to the way people support NPR and PBS stations. We're not non-profit so it's not tax deductible but $49.95 (less than an annual dollar a week) helps keep us online.