Three-alarm fire destroys Newhall Refinery and The Main Theatre; blaze burns multiple businesses on an entire block of Main Street
By Signal Staff
A three-alarm commercial fire destroyed The Newhall Refinery restaurant, The Main Theatre and several other businesses in Old Town Newhall early Monday morning, devastating the community’s historic downtown area that has been undergoing transformation into an arts and entertainment district over the past decade and a half.
No cause was immediately announced and L.A. County Sheriff’s Department arson investigators were on the scene Monday morning, even as the fire continued to burn many hours after it was first reported at 2:54 a.m. on the 24200 block of Main Street.
Multiple reports in the media and social media speculated about where and how the fire started, but investigators would not yet confirm whether any of the speculation was accurate.
An entire block of Main Street was burned.
Santa Clarita Mayor Laurene Weste issued a statement Monday afternoon noting the depth of the loss in the community’s historic downtown.
“Old Town Newhall is the root of our city’s history. I am sorry to lose these historic buildings,” Weste’s statement said. “While we feel the loss, we also look to our future to support the people who have always worked toward making this a special place in our community. We will ensure that the history of this treasured area continues to be celebrated, and the city will do everything we can to bring back what we have lost.”
She added: “We are grateful that the beloved Canyon Theatre Guild — in its beautiful historic brick building — was left intact, so theater can continue to thrive on Main Street. Our Fire Department did a monumental job of containing the fire, keeping it from impacting any other buildings. They are remarkable men and women who run toward danger to help save what we love — both our spaces and our lives — and we are grateful that none of them were injured in the firefight.”
Information on the level of devastation unfolded over the course of more than six hours Monday morning as the fire continued to burn. The site of the former El Trocadero Mexican restaurant was also destroyed.
Mark Moseley, morning news show host for The Buzz, The Signal’s streaming channel, reported from the scene: “Almost an entire block of Main Street, on one side of Main Street, completely gone.”
As firefighters battled the blaze, the city of Santa Clarita advised residents to avoid the area. Multiple streets remained closed throughout the morning.
“Main Street, Sixth Street, Eighth Street, Railroad Avenue and Newhall Avenue are all closed. Please avoid the area and use alternate routes,” said a post on the city’s Facebook page just before 6 a.m.
No injuries were reported as of the publication of this story.
Local schools were monitoring the situation, amid an ongoing heatwave, and making plans to adjust the school day accordingly.
“We are aware of a local fire in the vicinity of Newhall Avenue,” said a message sent to Newhall School District parents via ParentSquare by Superintendent Leticia Hernandez. “All Newhall School District schools remain open and operational. We are closely monitoring the situation and will keep parents informed of any developments. Student safety is our top priority; as a precaution, the students will be kept indoors for the remainder of the day for those schools affected by the smoke.”
Defensive mode
Randy Osborne, a local retired firefighter, joined The Daily Buzz morning show to discuss the concerns about fighting fires in older structures like many of those found in Old Town Newhall with “a lot of obviously very old buildings.”
Older buildings, he said, can be more subject to wall collapse in a fire than more modern structures.
“That is why they had to go defensive,” he said, referring to firefighters’ “defensive mode” as opposed to “offensive mode,” which is more aggressive. In defensive mode, firefighters aim to keep the fire from spreading to other structures as opposed to sending firefighters into the burning building.
“You don’t want to risk firefighters having walls collapse on them,” he said.
Community reaction
News of the fire drew emotional responses from local residents, particularly those involved in local arts and entertainment.
“I’m so sad,” said Carrie Lujan, communications manager for the city of Santa Clarita, describing the fire’s location as “the heart of Main Street,” where just last week the city hosted its monthly Senses block party and The Main was staging local theater performances and hosting a reception for an exhibit by artist Jane Mick, whose artwork was reportedly destroyed in the fire.
“I think about just how devastating this is to our businesses on Main Street,” Lujan said. “Newhall Refinery is one of the most popular restaurants in town. The message I want to get out is how important our local businesses are, especially these unique-to-Santa Clarita ones, and what a tragedy it is when something like this happens.”
“I have been crying for the last hour — The Main holds so many personal memories, through all its iterations,” Carol Rock, spokesperson for the Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society, wrote in a post commenting on The Signal’s Facebook page. “We cried with friends about 9/11, Frank (Rock) painted scenery there, I served on the board of the REP, our entire friend group either acted or tech’ed there … Newhall Refinery was the first new pub to open in the area (El Trocadero was already open). We had dinner there just over a week ago. I am gutted.”
The Newhall Refinery is billed as “Newhall’s first gastropub” in the heart of Historic Old Town Newhall. It was one of the earliest new businesses to open as part of the city’s efforts to revitalize Downtown Newhall as an arts and entertainment district.
“Since opening in May 2013, it has become one of the staples in Old Town Newhall,” says the restaurant’s website. “Enjoy classic rock in our softly illuminated dining room with Edison-style light bulbs. This custom-built space delivers a one-of-a-kind look and feel for the SCV.”
The restaurant posted a message on social media Monday morning, expressing gratitude for the messages of support that have been received.
“SCV community, we are heartbroken and still processing what has happened,” said the message posted on Newhall Refinery’s Instagram account. “We want to thank everyone for the prayers and support. We want to thank our community; we love and adore Newhall and Santa Clarita. We want to thank the firefighters and first responders who worked tirelessly to try to stop the fire. Thank you, SCV, we will update as we know more of what’s next.”
The Main has also been part of the city’s efforts to make Old Town Newhall a gathering place for the community. The city took over operation of the theater in 2017.
“The Main is a user-friendly and versatile venue that can be rented for corporate events, parties, meetings, film shoots, auditions, readings, plays, movies and much more,” says the theater’s website. “It is conveniently located in the Old Town Newhall Arts and Entertainment District — home to live theater, art galleries, fine dining, wineries, breweries and boutiques.”
L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, whose district includes the Santa Clarita Valley, issued a statement of support for those impacted by the fire.
“My heart goes out to the business owners in Old Town Newhall who woke up this morning to devastating losses,” Barger’s statement said. “These are small businesses that are part of the fabric of this community, and for some owners, years of hard work and livelihoods were destroyed in a matter of hours. Our focus now is on supporting these business owners as they begin the difficult process of recovering and rebuilding.”
It was not immediately clear what the impact will be on upcoming scheduled special events in Old Town Newhall.
A GoFundMe page has been created to support The Newhall Refinery and its employees. The page can be found at tinyurl.com/yeyu2hez.
