George’s ’50s Diner in Bixby Knolls has temporarily closed after a two-alarm fire broke out around 10:30pm on Friday, Dec. 16.” captionposition=”bottom-left” lightbox=”off” floater=”on” floaterposition=”left” floaterdirection=”none”] [aesop_character name=”Cory Bilicko” caption=”Managing Editor” align=”left” force_circle=”off”] The iconic George’s ’50s Diner in Bixby Knolls is temporarily closed after a two-alarm fire broke out Friday, Dec. 16.
Jeffrey Ohs, Long Beach Fire Department (LBFD) battalion chief, said the fire was reported around 10:30pm. He said the first arriving firefighters saw heavy smoke coming from the front of the building and called for a second alarm. When all firefighting resources had arrived, firefighters conducted a forceful entry and were able to quickly extinguish the blaze, Ohs said.
[aesop_image imgwidth=”250px” img=”http://www.signaltribunenewspaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Screen-Shot-2016-12-22-at-12.15.54-PM.png” align=”right” lightbox=”on” caption=”According to owners George and Helen Alvarez, George’s ’50s Diner had to close temporarily because of extensive damage inside the eatery.” captionposition=”right” revealfx=”off”] On Wednesday afternoon, a note on the door of the diner provided some further information.
“Thanks to the efforts of the Long Beach Fire Department, the damage was limited,” the note states. “Unfortunately, there was still an extensive amount of damage sustained inside […] We look forward to reopening in the near future.”
In an emailed statement to the Signal Tribune, Blair Cohn, executive director of the Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association, expressed regret about the incident but support for the business.
“I was really upset to hear the sirens and get the news about George’s,” Cohn said. “We had had such a great week with three grand openings in the district.
I was at home relaxing and happy with the district’s progress when the heartbreaking news got to me. I do hope that [owners] George and Helen [Alvarez] will be able to get the property cleaned and repaired quickly so they can be back in full swing. It’s an iconic building and business, so we all are cheering them on.”
The diner, located at the corner of San Antonio Drive and Atlantic Avenue, was declared a Long Beach historic landmark in 2004, according to the Los Angeles Conservancy.
Media requests made to the LBFD for further information had not been answered by press time.
So sad. We frequnt there often, and i know them both. Very sweet people, i hope that things work out for them