Iconic Bixby Knolls Restaurant Destroyed In Fire

LONG BEACH (CBSLA.com) — A firefighter suffered minor injuries early Monday morning while battling a fire at an iconic Bixby Knolls restaurant.

A fire at Hof's Hut Restaurant and Bakery, located in the 4200 block of Long Beach Boulevard, was first reported around 9:30 p.m. Sunday when customers were still in the eatery, officials said.

Crews responded to the restaurant, a fixture in Bixby Knolls since 1951, and declared the fire a knockdown within 20 minutes.

Officials said the fire was contained to the eatery's ventilation system.

Firefighters were called back to scene around 1 a.m. Monday after a passerby reported flames coming from the building's roof.

A second alarm fire was declared and it was later extinguished around 4 a.m., the Long Beach Fire Department said.

"This restaurant has been under a number of renovations. There's a lot of void spaces and anytime you have a fire in a duct system or a hood system at a restaurant, they can be tricky," said Brian Fisk of the LBFD. "There's a lot of spaces that the fire can hide."

The cause of the fire was under investigation by an arson team. Officials said the business was a total loss.