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Description
Looking west, from the top of the Ramona Hotel, this Feb. 21, 1941, photograph shows the frenetic aftermath of a fire at the El Rey Hotel at 519 J St. The fire started in one of the theater’s balconies and was likely the result of arson. Nearly all available fire units in the city were sent to the scene. The amount of smoke created by the fire was reported to have been enormous, leaving a pall over the central business district for hours. This was the first time in Sacramento Fire Department history that a hose was attached to a tower on a hook and ladder truck to quell the fire, and the only way that water could be placed on the most severe sections of the fire. The blaze resulted in $50,000 damage and three injured firefighters. Thanks to quick action by theater management, nearly 100 customers were removed from the venue without injury. The structure opened in March 1917 as Godard’s J Street Theater.
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