Fire damages hobby shop

Ben Godar

A fire that started in a hobby shop late Tuesday produced a lot of

black smoke and blocked eastbound traffic on Glenoaks Boulevard for

more than 30 minutes.

The fire was reported shortly before 4:30 p.m. at Robin’s Hobbies,

1844 W. Glenoaks Blvd. Employees and customers smelled smoke coming

from the back room, store owner Robin Hambley said.

“I walked in back and the ceiling was just engulfed,” he said. “I

grabbed the biggest fire extinguisher we had and held it on for as

long as I could hold my breath.”

Hambley was unable to extinguish the fire, and he and about six

others evacuated the building.

When firefighters arrived, heavy smoke was coming from the

building, Battalion Chief Steve Howard said. Six fire crews,

including two from Burbank, fought the blaze. Firefighters ventilated

the roof to release smoke so other firefighters could enter the

building and attack the fire. The blaze was contained in about 20

minutes, and no one was injured, Howard said

All eastbound traffic on Glenoaks was stopped at Allen Avenue for

more than 30 minutes, while Glendale Police directed traffic.

The shop specializes in gas-powered planes and other models, and

did house some fuel, but Howard said tests of the water runoff showed

there was no chemical release.

Fire officials had not determined the cause of the blaze late

Tuesday, nor did they have a damage estimate. Smoke damage was

visible throughout much of the interior, and Hambley said the store

has insurance.