A beloved rainbow-painted lifeguard hut on Long Beach, California, has burned down to the ground. The city’s gay Mayor suspects it could be a hate-fueled arson attack.
The hut was painted in rainbow colors to mark Pride Month last year. Firefighters were called to tackle the blaze just after midnight on Tuesday morning.
“The tower served as a symbol of our strong support for diversity within our ranks and the LGBTQ community who call Long Beach home,” Long Beach Marine Safety Chief Gonzalo Medina told the Los Angeles Times. “The tower will be replaced and repainted by lifeguards.”
Long Beach has a gay mayor: Robert Garcia. He took to Twitter to say he had little doubt why the hut had burned.
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“Last night, our PRIDE lifeguard station that was painted by LGBTQ+ lifeguards, burned down. The fire is under investigation but I personally have little doubt this was an act of hate. To whoever committed this act, we will rebuild it better and brighter.”
Last night, our PRIDE lifeguard station that was painted by LGBTQ+ lifeguards, burned down. The fire is under investigation but I personally have little doubt this was an act of hate. To whoever committed this act, we will rebuild it better and brighter. pic.twitter.com/VxNQZgCBpF
— Robert Garcia (@RobertGarcia) March 23, 2021
Among those to respond to the mayor’s tweet was a woman who had captured footage of the blaze.
So sad. I saw it as it happened. pic.twitter.com/Ofpt8Q4k90
— Jennifer Pruitt (@Jenisey123) March 23, 2021
Garcia told the Los Angeles Times that it was the first time a lifeguard hut had burned down in 60 years. He didn’t believe it was a coincidence that it happened to the rainbow hut, and pointed out none of the huts have their own power supplies, so it could not be due to a power malfunction.
“To have the one lifeguard station that’s burned to the ground be the one that was recently painted in pride colors — that leaves little doubt that this was a targeted incident,” Garcia said.
“As a gay man who is also the mayor of a city, I understand that hate incidents still happen. They happen to people I know, and they’ve happened to me.
Related: Pride flags set on fire outside New York gay bar in possible hate crime
At a press conference yesterday, Garcia vowed the hut would return.
“To whoever committed this act: please know that, one, you are not welcome in our city. And, two, that we will rebuild the lifeguard station brighter, gayer and bigger than it was before.”
The hut was made from steel and fiberglass. Dave Stollery, CEO of Industrial Design Research, a company that specializes in fiberglass lifeguard towers, told Long Beach Post that fiberglass is not particularly flammable and he therefore also found it hard to believe the blaze was accidental.
“I think in the 30 years I’ve been involved in this business, we’ve never heard of a lifeguard tower burning.”
Related: Man attacks two men kissing in Rome, prompting calls for hate crime law in Italy
BaltoSteve
There are a few possibilities as to why this happened. Not all of them nefarious. However, I would agree that the strongest possibility would be a hate crime.
jayceecook
What would those reasons be? Honestly I’m curious.
BaltoSteve
A homeless person decided to seek shelter. I know here, there have been fires due to homeless people seeking shelter. They bring in stuff for bedding, etc… Open flames either for light or heat. Something sparks and up it all goes. Here, there have also been fires due to addicts trying to find a place for a quick high. Again an open flame. Though admittedly less possible extra flammable material. However, with the materials that make up the towers, that’s why I said I would agree the strongest possibility would be a hate crime.
Fahd
That’s not right! I hope the authorities are investigating to identify the perpetrators. Long Beach will rebuild and repaint.
Mr. Stadnick
This is not what Long Beach is truly like. Very sad.
winemaker
This could have been accidently set by the homeless that seem to be everywhere these days. Not to rule out hate crime but these lifeguard stations are far between approximately 1/2 mile apart from each other. On Santa Monica and Venice beaches, the homeless camp on the beach with their tents and during the recent cold weather, have bon fires to keep warm so this could have been accidently set by a homeless person escaping from the cold night temperatures.
whateverokok
Regardless of what happened, this case is not and never will be a hate crime. Even if the place was set on fire intentionally. inanimate objects cannot be hated on. Nor are they protected under hate crime laws. If someone were inside, that would be different.
Openminded
This lifeguard station, itself, may not have been gay, but it represented the gay community just like statues and flags represent groups. If I was the one who set fire to the station, I wouldn’t be betting on using “inanimate object” as an exclusion to a hate crime charge. Especially in a city with a gay mayor.