THE ROOF IS ON FIRE- PALOMAR

At 3PM Park Cities People found out Palomar was on fire from staff photograher Jeremy Chesnutt (good work, scoop!) By 3:15 fire trucks were still en route. And by 3:39, the flames were “pretty much under control,” as JR Parker, driver and engineer for the DFD said. PCP blog has blow-by-blow here but basically, well…jump to find out.

There are two stories floating around- fire dept told our photographer it was an elevator that started the minor fire (which did not effect the hotel, only the the condo residences that are not yet open). But Phil Brousseau, principal of hotel developer Realty America told me it was a bucket of pitch that caught flame on the roof. Either way it was a 3-alarm mess that caused more traffic than damage- the hotel did not have to evacuate any guests, though GM Joe Schwingler was on alert, asking his staff to move 2nd floor pool furniture inside. No estimates yet on how much, if any damage.

PS Chesnutt reports that the building’s standpipes weren’t working, that’s why it went 3-alarms.