LAKEPORT, Calif. – An early Friday morning fire in a historic downtown Lakeport building burned up the contents of a store and began to enter the building's second story before firefighters knocked it down.
The fire was located in the Lunas building at 306 N. Main St., at the corner of Main and Third streets in downtown Lakeport.
Lakeport Fire Chief Ken Wells said the fire broke out some time between 5:30 a.m. and 6 a.m.
Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen said his officers and firefighters arrived at around 6 a.m. after receiving a call about the fire.
Wells, who responded to the scene, said, “We had flames coming out of the bottom story upon our arrival.”
The fire destroyed the Penny Lane Emporium on the first floor before it spread lightly into the second story, where the Feeney and Lunas law offices are located, according to Wells.
Rasmussen said they closed Main Street between Second and Fourth streets, as well as Third Street between Park and Main streets with the help of Lakeport Public Works employees, who put up barricades to cordon off the fire area while firefighters worked.
Wells said he and two Lakeport engines and a ladder truck responded, with Northshore Fire sending an engine and Kelseyville responding with an engine and chief. Lakeport Police controlled the crowd and traffic with help from sheriff's deputies.
By about 9:30 a.m. most of the resources had been released, with Wells, an engine and ladder truck remaining on scene. At that point Wells was waiting for fire investigators to arrive.
“We're going to go in there and try to determine cause and origin,” Wells said, adding that the insurance company already had been on scene.
Wells had no estimate of damage. “The whole downstairs is completely destroyed. There is nothing salvageable in the shop downstairs,” he said.
Attorney and judicial candidate Michael Lunas' office is located upstairs. It was not destroyed although Rasmussen said the upstairs area appeared to have had heat and smoke damage.
Rasmussen said he had a detective standing by to assist with the investigation.
He said there was nobody in the building at the time of the fire.
“There were witnesses in the area at the time that we talked to and the fire department also has talked to,” Rasmussen said.
Main and Third streets had been reopened to traffic at 9 a.m., Rasmussen said.
Controlled traffic is in effect at the intersection of Third and Main streets, and Park Street is closed from the alley behind Lakeport City Hall to Main Street, according to Rasmussen.
He said the parking lanes in front of the Lunas building and the sidewalk were closed in the interest of safety until the fire investigation is complete, which should last several hours.
The 1870s-era Lunas building recently was the site of a Lake County Quilt Trail installation. Owned by Darlene Lunas, Michael Lunas’ mother, the building has seen disasters before, having survived the 1906 earthquake.
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