A fire broke out at landmark Vancouver strip club The Penthouse overnight, but firefighters managed to contain the blaze to an area believed to be the dancers' dressing room.
The two-alarm fire was discovered early Wednesday morning by police officers who saw smoke in the alley behind the historic building, located downtown at Seymour and Nelson streets.
Batallion Chief Randy Hebenton said the 40 firefighters who arrived on scene had trouble accessing the blaze, but were able to safely extinguish it before it spread to the rest of the club.
"Because of the age of the building and the void spaces and the renovations… it was difficult finding our way to the actual seat of the fire," Hebenton told CTV News at around 6 a.m., adding that "the fire, at this time, is knocked down."
Firefighters believe the building was empty when the blaze began and no injuries have been reported. The cause has not been determined, but the fire is not considered suspicious.
It was reported shortly before 5 a.m. to club owner Danny Filippone, who rushed down to the scene.
"It's obviously the worst fear," Filippone said. "There's so much memorabilia in The Penthouse; there's historic photos dating back to the early 1930s that we have all around the room with the celebrities who have been at the club."
"It was definitely a very scary feeling heading down."
Sammy Davis Jr., Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald are all among the 64-year-old club's famous former patrons.
Fillipone said he believes the blaze is the first in the Penthouse's history, and will most likely close the establishment for a few weeks.
"We'll hopefully get up and running before Christmas," he added.
