Attic Fire Breaks Out at Hollywood’s Magic Castle

An attic fireplace broke out Tuesday afternoon at Hollywood’s historic Magic Castle, according to the Los Angeles Times.

LAT reviews that firefighters have been deployed to the scene at 5:28 p.m. The reason for the blaze has yet to be decided, and officers haven’t yet said if there have been any accidents as a result of the fireplace, according to NBC Los Angeles 4.

Magic Castle staff told KTLA that the roof was under building, and roofers have been utilizing blowtorches to soften down materials earlier in the day.

Located just north of the Dolby Theatre at 7025 Franklin Ave., the Magic Castle is a members-only clubhouse that serves dinners and encompasses a rotating roster of magical acts. The venue, which was initially managed by the Academy of Magical Arts, was opened as the Magic Castle in 1963 by brothers William and Milt Larsen. It was declared a cultural monument in 1989.

The Larsen household leased property from proprietor Thomas Glover until 2022, when Randy Pitchford, founding father of Gearbox Entertainment, bought the chateau-style manor. In 2025, the Academy of Magical Arts voted to shift management of the Magic Castle over to Pitchford. The deal allowed the group to maintain utilizing the Magic Castle as its clubhouse and host promotional occasions, award exhibits and academic packages there.

“The Magic Castle is like bedrock — the center point of magic,” Pitchford said in an announcement after buying the Magic Castle property. “The people who think of the Castle as their home and the place itself seem to have magical properties that have created and inspired some of the world’s greatest entertainers. I’m proud to be trusted to both, give back to the place that made me to become the custodian of the Magic Castle, and to work with its members and the Larsen family to ensure our most incredible club house grows and thrives for decades to come.”