Firefighters control raging blaze at Hollywood and Vine

A popular celebrity hangout at the intersection of Hollywood and Vine in the heart of Hollywood was ravaged this morning by a blaze that took firefighters nearly 2 1/2 hours to bring under control.

The fire sent up a plume of smoke visible for miles and shut down the busy crossroads as 100 firefighters worked to extinguish flames that gutted Basque Nightclub and Restaurant at 6263 W. Hollywood Blvd., where actress Lindsay Lohan celebrated her 21st birthday and rap star Kanye West partied earlier this month.

The blaze broke out about 5:30 a.m. at the hub of Hollywood’s ongoing redevelopment, close to numerous high-end projects, including loft buildings and a W Hotel and residences now under construction.

During the fire’s peak, 40-foot flames could be seen shooting from the roof. City Councilman Tom LaBonge was on a hike this morning in Griffith Park when he saw the flames and rushed to the scene.

“It looked like a meteor, a half-moon of orange flames,” LaBonge said.

About 30 minutes into battling the fire, firefighters had to leave the building due to concerns that the structure, which has a huge billboard on its roof, was not stable, said d’Lisa Davies of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

But by 8 a.m., the fire was 99% contained, said Los Angeles Fire Battalion Chief Ronnie Villanueva. No injuries were reported, he said, and the cause was not immediately known.

“We are very fortunate that it was an early morning fire where the amount of people out there was minimal,” Villanueva said. “The companies were able to come in without traffic and people, and have a good aggressive attack.”

Crews from 40 companies used aerial ladders to pour water on the flames from above, working to prevent the fire from spreading. At one point, at least six helicopters were overhead.

After the fire was out, Shimul Barua and his family surveyed the damage at his souvenir shop next door. Smoke permeated the T-shirts, postcards and disposable cameras packed into the Hollywood Gift and Food Mart, at 6303 Hollywood Blvd.

“I don’t know what we’re going to do about this,” said Barua, pointing to the flooded linoleum and a hole in the roof. “Everything is damaged.”

Just another down, Mack Khanani, 28, gave thanks that his Tabu Smoke Shop was unscathed. No damage, he said – not even from smoke.

The fire and cleanup efforts forced Metro officials to re-route bus lines 163, 217, 780, 210 and 180, said Metro spokesman Luis Inzunza. The buses will be diverted around the four-block area surrounding the site of the blaze until the area is cleared, Inzunza. Metro Red Line trains, which stop at Hollywood and Vine, have not been interrupted by the fire, officials said.

Fire officials said cleanup is likely to last into the afternoon and continue to disrupt traffic in that area, officials said.

In addition to Basque, the building devastated by the fire was home to three other businesses, DanDee Shoe Repair, the Bloodshot Tattoo parlor and the beauty salon San Miguel Spa.

The building, while not one of the neighborhood’s more famous, still had its moments in the spotlight.

Scenes from the movie “Ocean’s Eleven” were shot at the nightclub, said City Councilman Eric Garcetti, who represents the area. Garcetti, at the scene this morning, said the property had recently been sold as part of a renovation renaissance in Hollywood.

Garcetti noted that today’s fire is the fifth in the area in recent weeks. On Sunday, a fire apparently sparked by faulty wiring gutted a restaurant about two blocks south of this morning’s blaze

But he dismissed any potential effect of the fires on Hollywood’s development spurt.

“We’re past the point the point of no return with the Hollywood renaissance,” he said.

francisco.varaorta@latimes.com

molly.hennessy-fiske@latimes.com

Times staff writer Nita Lelyveld contributed to this report.