Fire Scorches Apartment Unit at the Santa Monica Shores So Tower

The greatest concentration of population anywhere in Santa Monica is the Santa Monica shores, at 2800 Nielson Way.

Built in the 1970's the apartments start at around $5000 a month for two bedrooms. They can be double that with a view.

Somehow a unit in the pricey South Tower caught fire Friday evening, February 8th 2019.

At 7:15 p.m., the SMFD responded to the 14 floor tower, to investigate a fire alarm activation.

When firefighters discovered smoke billowing from an apartment balcony on the tenth floor, additional resources were immediately requested, including all SMFD resources and some from the Los Angeles Fire Department, SMFD said.

It took 33 firefighters 19 minutes to knock the fire out, says an SMFD press release.

Fire officials said the flames didn't engulf the common areas of the building thanks to an activated fire sprinkler head. Nevertheless, the size of the building challenged firemen to keep all the residents safe, the release said.

Firefighters used a combination of sheltering occupants in place and systematically evacuating residents safely out of the building until the fire was brought under control, according to officials.

The flames were confined to the kitchen and living area, but there was extensive water damage to several units below the fire due to the fire sprinkler, SMFD said. No injuries were reported, and the person who lived in the apartment where the fire occurred was not home at the time of the fire, according to the press release. They were displaced as a result of the damage.