By Khalida Sarwari
A mattress that was too close to a wall heater appears to have been the cause of a fire at a Santa Cruz motel this morning, according to the Santa Cruz Fire Department.
Firefighters responded to the fire at the two-story El View Lodge Motel, located at 810 Third St., at about 7:10 a.m.
Arriving firefighters found smoke coming from a downstairs room.
Crews evacuated occupants in adjoining rooms and extinguished the fire in the affected room, which was unoccupied.
No injuries were reported.
The fire caused an estimated $30,000 in damage to the affected motel room. The room had not been occupied for the past two weeks, according to the fire department.
The fire department is advising residents to keep combustible materials, such as mattresses, away from heaters and other ignition sources. It is important to regularly check smoke detectors to ensure that they are in working order, fire officials said.
