Fire Badly Damages Historic San Lorenzo Theater

ALAMEDA COUNTY, CA — A fire at the historic Lorenzo Theater in the unincorporated Alameda County community of San Lorenzo was extinguished around 9 p.m. and firefighters turned to extinguishing hot spots and doing mop up work, the Alameda County Fire Department said Friday evening.

Drone video shot by the Alameda County Sheriff's Office showed the roof of the 73-year-old building mostly burned through.

Hesperian Command Update: Over 40 Firefighters are on scene of the Lorenzo theatre. Firefighters are now in defensive operations. Crews moving apparatus out of possible collapse zones. #ALCOFIRE pic.twitter.com/gQMWQPGgko
— Alameda County Fire (@AlamedaCoFire) June 6, 2020

"Crews will be rotating through the night for fire watch," the county fire department said via its Twitter account.

The fire started about 5:30 p.m. Friday at the theater at 16080 Hesperian Blvd. and more than 40 firefighters were called to the scene.

The 73-year-old theater closed in 1982, according to cinematreasures.org, and the nonprofit organization Lorenzo Theater Foundation was formed in 1999 to work for its preservation and restoration.

Hesperian IC Update:
9PM. Firefighters have now extinguished the fire and are in the mop of stage extinguishing hot spots. Crews will be rotating through the night for Fire watch. No injuries have been reported to the community or firefighters. Drone by @ACSOSheriffs pic.twitter.com/tqPH9R53xW
— Alameda County Fire (@AlamedaCoFire) June 6, 2020

The theater was designated as a California Historic Resource in 2001, according to cinematreasures.org.

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