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Gyllenhaals flee fire at Calif. lodge
From Natalie Finn
LOS ANGELES—If only the Gyllenhaal siblings’ careers were all that was
on fire these days. Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal were forced to evacuate
the rustic Northern California lodge they were staying at Wednesday when
a fire broke out in the chilly early morning hours, the Marin
Independent Journal reported.
The fire destroyed the main building at Manka’s Inverness Lodge, as well
as the getaway’s acclaimed restaurant, but no injuries were reported
from either the staff or the hotel’s dozen or so guests. “Jake was
helping me pull things out of the fire,” Daniel DeLong, who co-owns
Manka’s with partner Margaret Grad, told the Journal.
The Brokeback Mountain star and his sister have been frequent guests at
the two-story wooden lodge, which also boasts private cabins for those
seeking extra privacy. In addition to the Gyllenhaal family, the onsite
restaurant counts Prince Charles and Frances McDormand and hubby Joel
Coen among its high-profile clientele.
A posting on the lodge’s Website said that, although the main house and
restaurant are closed until further notice, the surrounding cabins,
annex and boat house are still open. Officials said that the fire was
first reported at 2:43 a.m. by next-door neighbour Judy Prokupek, who
said that she heard a tree fall a few minutes before seeing a small fire
in the back of the lodge and guests running out. Including Jake, 26, and
Maggie, 29, who braved the wind and rain along with all of the other
people who had no idea that they’d be out in the cold at 3 a.m. “They
weren’t dressed to come out,” Prokupek told the Journal, referring to
the shivering crowd in general. “It was early.”
Firefighters from Marin County, Inverness, Bolinas and Skywalker Ranch
responded to the call and prevented the blaze from spreading to any
nearby structures, eventually containing it by 7:30 a.m. Investigators
said that the fire was most likely caused when a large rotten tree
smashed into the back corner of the building, near a water heater. The
actress is up for a Golden Globe next month for her role in the drama
Sherrybaby. |