Fire Debris Cleanup Begins at 1104 Highland Avenue

A walk inside the fire-ravaged office building at 1104 Highland Avenue Sunday showed the damage wrought by a blaze that broke out at about 9:40 the night before in dentist Steve Guidone's street front office.

Outside, workers drilled wood boards into position to replace large street front windows that were broken during the fire. Inside, the smell of smoke hung in the air. Fire, heat, smoke, and water damage could be seen throughout the building.

Guidone was on site, salvaging an item or two. He was joined by property manager/owner Ken Ziegler, Koffee Kart owner George Loren, and other building tenants, including William Johnson of Manhattan Business Services, Inc., who told Patch that the call he'd received at 10:30 a.m. had changed his plans for the day. Tucked at the back of the building on the second floor, Johnson said that his office probably suffered the least amount of damage. He collected a few belongings and left.

"All I know is it [the fire] started up last night and it's a big pain in the butt," said Ziegler. The cause of the fire has not been determined and fire investigators had asked Guidone questions about whether anyone was upset with him when he arrived at the scene at 1 a.m. Sunday.

Loren told Patch that Koffee Kart, a business he has owned for nearly five years, would re-open in a minimum of two weeks. He explained that the booths would have to be removed because of smoke damage and described the fire as a way to bring more attention to his restaurant. "Now everyone will know where we are," he said.

He told Patch that his insurance will cover the cost of the remodel, his employees' lost wages and his lost revenue. He said the eatery would come back better than ever and have a re-opening after the remodel.

When they arrived at the scene Saturday night, Manhattan Beach fire units made "a quick knock-down on the main body of fire but had to get ahead of the fire and smoke," said Interim Fire Chief Ken Shuck, as it moved north from Guidone's dental office. The Massage Spot and Koffee Kart are north of Guidone's practice.

MBFD fought the blaze with assistance from El Segundo, Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, Torrance, and Los Angeles County Fire departments.