Fire Damages LA's Iconic Pacific Dining Car

LOS ANGELES, CA — A fire gutted the historic Pacific Dining Car restaurant in Westlake Thursday morning, further damaging a building where LA'S movers and shakers once gathered to hash out deals over steak and lobster.

It's the second time a fire has damaged the restaurant since it was made an historic cultural monument in Los Angeles to protect it from demolition in 2023.

The blaze broke out just before 7 a.m. at 1310 W. 6th St., according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

"Fire companies made entry into the restaurant, identified as the historic Pacific Dining Car, and confirmed that the bulk of the fire was in the attic and roof of that structure," LAFD spokesperson Lyndsey Lantz said. "Approximately 100 firefighters are on scene, with no occupants found or injuries reported at this time.

Crews had the blaze out within 45 minutes.

"LAFD heavy equipment crews, as well as the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety, have been attached to this incident to assess structural integrity and associated safety concerns in both affected buildings," added Lantz.

No one was injured in the fire, and the cause remains under investigation.

The Pacific Dining Car restaurant has a long and storied history in Los Angeles. It sits just off Wiltshire Boulevard with the Downtown skyscrapers as a backdrop. The Pacific Dining Car, a replica of a railway train car, opened in 1921 and shuttered during the pandemic. One of the oldest restaurants in the city, the family that owned the historic establishment told Deadline at the time that their plan was to reopen. However, the owners began auctioning off pieces of the landmark, Deadline reported.

The building has sat empty since then — its walls propping up tents and tarps for encampments lining the sidewalk. The vacant building was badly damaged in a fire last year.

Before, it fell into disrepair, the Pacific Dining Car catered to city leaders and the celebrities of Hollywood's golden era. Celebrities such as Mae West, Mickey Cohen, Nicholas Cage and Johnny Depp have frequented the restaurant.

It was featured prominently in "Chinatown" and "Training Day," "LA Confidential," "Black Dhalia" and the "Street Kings."