Explosion and fire rocks Capitola Village early Christmas morning

Central Fire District and Capitola Police responded to a structure fire in Capitola Village that began at 5:10 a.m. on Christmas morning, according to a Capitola Police Department social media post.

The fire started behind El Toro Bravo Mexican restaurant on the 100 block of Monterey Avenue, and Central Fire ordered the closure of the Esplanade and the 100 and 200 blocks or San Jose Avenue.

Capitola Police and the Central Fire District did not immediately respond to Lookout’s request for comment, but the police department said on social media that there were no injuries to report as of around 8 a.m.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Christian Seek, who lives on the corner of Capitola Avenue and Monterey Avenue, was jolted awake by what he called a “huge boom.” 

“I felt it in my bed,” he told Lookout. “A lot of the neighbors said they did too, it woke pretty much the whole village up.”

Seek said that just a day ago, someone set off a large firework in the village, a common occurrence in the area. Given that, he initially thought that the powerful boom had been a firework or an earthquake. When his girlfriend looked outside, though, village residents were already scrambling to call 911. He said that the fire appeared to have started at the southeast corner building on Lawn Way.

“It definitely blew up,” said Seek. “You can see shrapnel laying around that flew from the building.”

Thankfully, he said that he knows the resident who lives in the building most affected by the blaze, and he is out of town and safe.

Photo Gallery: See images from Wednesday’s fire in Capitola Village