By Jondi Gumz
The SeaBreeze Tavern, a historic building in the Rio Flats, was declared unsafe after a Sunday night fire, and Fire Marshal Mike DeMars is at the scene looking for the cause of the blaze.
The oceanfront tavern has been closed for some time, with the owner unable to pay property taxes. The property was sold at a foreclosure auction in February to Synrgo Inc., affiliated with Champery Rental REO LLC, 2015 Manhattan Beach Blvd. Suite 100, Redondo Beach, for $1.43 million, less than the unpaid debt and costs of $2.5 million.
When firefighters arrived, seeing heavy smoke and flames at the back of the building, they were worried about a resident in the second-story apartment.
He showed up at about 11:30 p.m.
“That relieved a lot of concerns,” said Battalion Chief Corey Schaefer of the Watsonville Fire Department, which responded along with the Aptos La Selva Fire District.
SeaBreeze Tavern Monday morning. • Photo Credit: Cathe Race
“Luckily no one was injured,” said DeMars, who is fire marshal for both Central Fire Protection District and Aptos La Selva Fire Protection District.
An apartment building 20 feet away was unscathed, he said, crediting firefighters with keeping the fire from spreading.
DeMars said the investigation into the cause would take days, with witnesses to interview and a video available.
“The building is a loss,” he said, noting the roof is gone and the walls are leaning. “It’s probably going to come down.”
He added, “It’s on a prime corner.”
Schaefer said six engines and one truck company were on the scene with more than 21 firefighters and three chief officers trying to get control of the fire.
The tavern building, at 101 Esplanade, sits at the end of a block that faces the Esplanade parking lot and the ocean.
A courtyard with picnic tables serves as a buffer between the tavern building and businesses on the other side, the Flats Bistro and Café Rio. A lot of homes are within walking distance.
Schaefer estimated about 100 people living in the Rio Flats area came out to watch.
“We had the smoke going toward the ocean,” he said, instead of into the residential area.
Some of the firefighters returned to the station at 4 a.m. but some engines stayed on watch.
Schaefer said normally fire crews would enter the building to put out hot spots but did not do so because of signs the building might collapse.