Show many guests injured besides losing all their baggage five firemen were hurt los angelea cal dec the largest hotel fire in the history of los angeles the van nuys broadway hotel one of the first class hostelries of the city located at south broadway in the heart of the business district was almost completely destroyed today one hundred and ten guests most of whom were still in bed at the time the fire broke out escaped in their scanty clothing to the street many of them got out in their night robes and suffered the loss of their entire baggage and personal effects five firemen were injured during the progress of the flames in the collapse of the rear of the second floor they were precipitated into the basement and all suffered more or less serious injuries following Is a list of the injured firemen injured C M stewart fireman shocked bruised and cut J lalands fareman fl reman lacerated scalp and bruised about body W C fareman fl reman bruised burned and cut i thomas lane fireman shocked bruised and cut still unconscious may die richard II anley fireman bruised cut and suffering from shock fire chief lips was also severely cut by broken glass but had his ini juries dressed without leaving the scene of the fire the total financial losa will approximate about the following are the individual losses sustained martz estate and august winstel owners of the hotel building loss insurance dark and forsythe lessels lessees of the hotel loss insurance california wall paper company J G varra president loss insurance 8 II 11 C eagan proprietor van nuys cafe loss insurance loss of guests of the hotel in baa gage valuables and money ed tes very few p th guests were get out any of their effects the baggage in the rooms in the front of the building was taken out atler the fire had been extinguished and was found to have sustained but little damage T H benton ex state auditor of nebraska wife and daughter occupied rooms on the fourth floor and barely with their lives losing all their valuables baggage and money estimated at sirs P handsch Hanl sch of chicago escaped from her room on the fourth floor but lost effects valued at several other individuals lost heavily in amounts ranging from 25 to 2000 the origin of the fire has not been definitely ascertained it was discovered by night clerk harry mertz at he immediately turned in an alarm and summoned the bell boys and porters to arouse the guests the flames appeared to coma from the basement or engine room of the hotel although the hotel management claim the fire originated in the store of the california paper company on the ground floor of the building the hotel employed emp loyes worked valiantly in arousing the sleeping guests who were barely awakened in time the flames spread with great rapidity and in thirty minutes from the time the first alarm was turned in the whole building was ablaze all of the guesta were able to escape by way of the str always and elevators although the halls and corridors were densely filled with smoke and many were nearly suffocated two women guests tainted but were carried out in safety the elevators were kept working and moat of the groats from the four floors were taken out by this means finally the engines in the basement were shut down and the elevators stopped the remainder of the people in the hotel making their way out by the stairways several attempted to reenter re enter the building and save their effects but the spread of the flames was so rapid that there was no chance one guest threw his trousers containing to the street from his room window and found them when he got down with 80 in them I 1 although a fire engine was on the ground four minutes after the first alarm wae turned in the building burned like tinder and there was no I 1 chance to extinguish the blaze soon practically th entire fire department of the downtown down town section was at work aitho fire was with dUn culty confined to the hotel building another brick building occupied by commercial houses was adjoining on the north and it was only with much effort that the fire was prevented from spreading in that direction A vacant lot was on the south of the hotel the angelus hotel one of the largest hotels in southern california was immediately in tho rear of van nuys on spring street with only an alley separating the two buildings and had the fire spread it too would undoubtedly have been burned the guests of the angelus were aroused by tho fire but there was DO excitement among them the nuys hotel which should not be confused contused cont used with the van nuys hotel was a five story bride building built seven years ago and valued at there were rooms in the hotel and nearly all were occupied about fifty 0 the guests in the hotel women the hotel safe which was filled with valuables and money in the basement of the building and it Is not known whether its contents are intact or not on tha floor of tho hotel were the stores of the california paper company and the hardware store of cass damerst company both of which were completely destroyed A portion ot the van nuys broadway cafe furnishings and some of tha hotel office furniture was taken out the basement of the building in which were stored valuable goods of the stores and other effects la filled with water to a depth of three feet the alre was not under control until 1030 and was not extinguished until after noon almost the entire interior of the building collapsed shortly before 10 carrying down everything in the hotel rooms which was not already damaged by alre into the basement filled with water airs underwood of waverly N Y made her escape from the third floor ot the hotel with her aged mother mrs mary with great bewildered wil dered by he contusion they several times lost their way and were almost suffocated before they got out mrs underwood lost clothing and jewelry to the amount of 1000 they ed in their night clothing J W searles and wife 0 cleveland ohio escaped in night clothes leav ing two trunks of clothing and valuables to the flames E J bleeker of fairbanks alaska occupied a room on the fourth floor when he got out were full ot smoke and the elevator had stopped and he had a close call from suffocation in making his escape by the stairway he had not time to dress so car ried down his clothes and grips in hla arms F J abbott of london an english mining engineer had a narrow escape in getting down the stairs in two minutes more he declares all escape have been cut off he says that the first indication he had of trouble was to awake choking arid gasping tora breath he clot nea andson ln currency a |