Santa Cruz Firefighters Battle 3 Blazes In 2 Days This Week

SANTA CRUZ, CA — The Santa Cruz Fire Department had a busy week.

Firefighters battled three fires in two days, including a fire at the Dream Inn Hotel (175 West Cliff Dr.) that began around 1:15 a.m. Wednesday after a fire started in a basket of towels in a third-floor laundry room. Smoke filled the hallway, though everyone escaped safely. Crews spent hours clearing smoke from the building.

Around 10 p.m. Wednesday, firefighters responded to a house fire in the 1400 block of High St., which caused $100,000 in damage after a kitchen outlet experienced an electrical failure, firefighters said. Residents had initially evacuated, but re-entered to get their animals.

Firefighters arrived and rescued all five residents, plus their seven dogs.

Firefighters said they also battled a 150-foot by 30-foot wildfire in Arana Gulch around 2 p.m. Tuesday. The fire was contained within 45 minutes and is thought to have started after a shopping cart caught fire.