By Lookout Staff

March 13, 2023 -- A man was hospitalized Saturday after "narrowly" escaping an early afternoon blaze at the Holiday Motel & Suites in Santa Monica, where he lived, Fire Department officials reported.

Firefighters responded to calls received by the Office of Emergency Management Communications Center at around 12:38 p.m. Saturday reporting a fire at 1102 Pico Boulevard.

"Police and Fire Department resources quickly responded and arrived to find a well-developed fire consuming one unit of the single-story motel," said Captain Patrick Nulty, the Fire Department spokesman.

"Firefighters initiated an aggressive attack on the blaze confining it to the unit of origin and preventing the spread to adjacent units," Nulty said.

Police officers found a man in the alley "who narrowly escaped the fire," Nulty said. The man had suffered moderate burns and smoke inhalation.

"Paramedics quickly treated and transported the patient to a local
hospital," Nulty said.

Firefighters brought the fire under control 10 minutes after arriving, he said.

They were assisted by the Santa Monica Police, McCormick Ambulance, Santa Monica Building & Safety, and OEM 9-1-1 Communications.

Fire Investigators were called "to perform cause and origin determination," Nulty said. The fire is still under investigation.