Fire Guts La Vida Hotel, Sends Spa Guests Fleeing Without Their Clothes

A fire gutted the historic La Vida Hot Springs hotel in Brea on Sunday, leaving guests who had been using the nearby outdoor hot springs without clothes and wrapped in towels and blankets.

There were no injuries, but firefighters were hampered by limited access to the remote hotel, which is on a winding two-lane road in a hollow east of the Orange Freeway between Carbon Canyon Regional Park and Chino Hills State Park, said Brea Fire Department Battalion Chief Joel Shennum.

“It spread so fast no one could stop it, but no one was hurt, and that’s what’s important,” said Leo Hayashi, who has owned the Carbon Canyon hotel for about 15 years. “Of course, some of the customers had to go home naked.”

Shennum estimated that the amount of damage “will go over $1 million.”

The cause of the blaze was under investigation, but Hayashi speculated that a motor, such as one for an appliance, may have ignited the fire.

Hayashi, who 2 months ago moved from Los Angeles with his family into the hotel, estimated that about 70% of the rustic two-story building, with porches ringing both floors, was destroyed.

Shennum said the building was gutted.

‘It’s Uninhabitable’

“The fire involved almost all the interior of the hotel and came through the roof in several places,” Shennum said. “The utilities are off, and it’s uninhabitable.”

Although 12 engine companies responded to the 12:20 alarm, it was 1 to 2 hours before firefighters could reach the fire because of the layout of the building, Shennum said. Carbon Canyon Road was closed to through traffic between Orange County and the San Bernardino County line.

Half a dozen hotel employees who also are residents of the hotel were evacuated, as well as six guests who were using the outdoor springs spa . When the fire broke out in the hotel, the guests could not return for their clothes and were evacuated in towels and sheets.

The heavy timber supports for the hotel, which was built in the 1930s, made it difficult to reach hidden areas where the fire continued to smolder, he said.

Shennum said firefighters also were hampered because the only way to reach the building is over a one-lane wooden bridge. Small trucks were able to cross the bridge, but the rest of the firefighting effort depended on long extension hoses that were draped across Carbon Canyon Road from about 100 yards away, he said.

Huddled in Blankets

About half a dozen employees huddled in sheets and blankets near the hotel as the fire was brought under control. Among them was Carolina Kurosu, a masseuse who was working when she noticed the heavy smoke.

“I was in the massage room, and a lot of smoke poured through so fast that we couldn’t stop it,” Kurosu said. “We tried to put water on it, but that didn’t help.”

The Red Cross was seeking shelter and clothing for the six hotel employees.

“It’s really a shame. The La Vida has been here such a long time,” said Red Cross worker Ray Cardona. “It’s part of the canyon.”

Hayashi said that the hotel opened in the 1930s but that the hot springs 200 yards to the east had operated for a century. “The hotel is about 60 years old and of course it’s been remodeled, but it’s old-fashioned,” Hayashi said. “As soon as we realized there was a fire, it was too late.”

Asked if he would repair and reopen the hotel, Hayashi said, “I think we will try to do the best we can, as quickly as possible.”

Times staff writer Dahleen Glanton contributed to this story.