Early this April, a fire broke out at The Magic Castle. The damage was relatively minimal—the building was open three days later for magicians and guests—thanks to the swift work of the Los Angeles Fire Department LAFD) and the leadership of Magic Castle Enterprises (MCE).
The staff immediately called 911 when they noticed the fire, and called co-owners Randy and Kristy Pitchford right after. The Pitchfords got there roughly 18 minutes after they received the call and the fire fighters were already at work. MCE president Erika Larsen was already there as well, with MCE COO Jessica Hopkins arriving soon after.
In that first hour, everyone feared the worst for the club. “I looked up to see a fire fighter with a large, two-handed axe chopping away at the roof. There was smoke pouring out everywhere—even the front turret window,” Randy told THE EYE. “I couldn’t imagine what it looked like inside, but it appeared in that moment that smoke was pouring out of the building from all four sides.”
Once the LAFD extinguished the fire, the fire chief brought in the MCE team and explained that the fire started directly above the kitchen and went through the attic and third-floor walls. Part of the kitchen ceiling had collapsed and the corner executive office on that floor was also destroyed; according to Randy, the space “looked like a charcoal briquette.”
While not confirmed, the suspicion is that someone doing repair work on the roof caused the blaze; the same circumstance that caused the major fire at The Castle 15 years ago. Luckily, the damage this time was significantly less. The quick response of Castle staff and the LAFD put out the blaze before the fire suppression sprinklers turned on. (It was the sprinklers that caused most of the damage to the club back in 2011.)
The recent kitchen remodel, led by Kristy, is also why there wasn’t more damage. The space’s sealed floors and walls contained the water the LAFD used to put out the blaze, and the new fire safety system prevented any kitchen flammables from contributing to the flames. Kristy started putting together a recovery team while still on site, and work began to get The Castle back in shape before the LAFD had left. The Castle reopened three days later, and while there’s still work to be done, Randy said the goal is to have those renovations be invisible to members and guests.
“The fire reminds us how lucky we are to have The Magic Castle and how quickly it could all go away,” Randy said. “Kristy, Jessica, Erika, and I intend to keep The Magic Castle going forever and to invest and make it better and better. But the fates may have different plans, so we are grateful that we are here now and encourage everyone to enjoy it while they can.”
Screenshots via KTLA