The Morrison Hotel featured on The Doors’ album cover in the ‘70s caught fire recently, leaving the structure unrecognizable. The building became a place of interest ever since the rock project’s release, but it also sheltered hundreds of homeless people in Los Angeles who are now displaced due to the incident.
Photographer Henry Diltz, who did the album cover shoot, expressed his sadness at seeing the famous building getting torn down, adding that he hopes for someone to rebuild it. The cause of the fire has yet to be known, as the investigation is still ongoing.
People escape the burning Morrison Hotel uninjured
Nearly a hundred firefighters arrived at the scene by 11 am and spent hours trying to curb the fire and save lives. While most people fled, they had to rescue a few people from the third floor with ladders as the fumes spread. Thankfully, all the residents came out unscathed.
While the roof of the hotel is now tagged to show it is inhabitable, investigators wonder if some of the squatters are responsible for the outbreak. The damage was so terrible that businessman Juan Jose Gutierrez told Fox 11 the fire was the biggest he had ever witnessed.
What happens to the homeless at Morrison Hotel?
The AIDS Healthcare Foundation bought The Morrison Hotel for $12 million in order to turn it into affordable housing. It was low-income housing until 2008, after which it was meant to be transformed into a luxury hotel if not for the developer, who did not pay back a loan.
The Foundation’s Mark Dryer revealed that the homeless people in the building became a growing menace as they would cut off locks using power tools each time the building was sealed. Now that The Morrison Hotel is no more, the homeless squatters are left to find shelter elsewhere.
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