Manhattan Beach Lifeguard Tower Catches Fire, Suffers Damage

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA — Lifeguard Tower 30 in Manhattan Beach suffered structural damage from a rubbish fire underneath it at 9 p.m. on Nov. 23 and was towed to a Los Angeles County maintenance yard, according to Los Angeles County and Manhattan Beach city officials.

Manhattan Beach Fire Department Battalion Chief Scott Hafdell said the firefighters who extinguished the blaze called it a "small rubbish fire under the lifeguard tower." Nicole Mooradian, public information officer for LA County Department of Beaches and Harbors said it wasn't clear if the tower would be repaired. Mooradian told Manhattan Beach Patch the county had two other burned lifeguard towers in 2020, one in Hermosa Beach and one at Dockweiler.

"We believe that at least one of them [the Hermosa or Dockweiler lifeguard tower fires] burned because of an illegal bonfire, and we’ve found remnants from illegal fires under and on other lifeguard towers. While illegal fires have primarily been an issue at Dockweiler State Beach, we’ve found remnants of a few illegal fires in the South Bay.

"While a bonfire at the beach might sound great, they’re illegal for a reason," she said. "These fires, especially when built directly on the sand, are hazardous for beachgoers and local wildlife. We’ve found that when they want to put the fires out, people will smother them with sand. This causes the sand surrounding the coals to get extremely hot, and unsuspecting beachgoers can be severely burned if they step directly on these hidden fire remnants."