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Popular Celebrity Hangout Goes Up in Flames
April 30, 2008, 8:56 PM PDT 
A hip nightclub where Lindsay Lohan partied and a scene from "Ocean's Eleven" was filmed was reduced to ashes after flames raced through the building at the famed corner of Hollywood and Vine.The Basque Restaurant and Nightclub was closed at the time and nobody was hurt, but the spectacular fire could be seen from the Hollywood Hills several miles away. The blaze was reported by construction workers building the W Hotel across the street about 5:30 a.m. It took two hours to douse the fire, a job made more difficult after flames surged through an attic-like space between two levels of roofing, firefighters said. Firefighters were ordered out of the nightclub about 15 minutes after arriving because the immense sign began tilting to one side. "It was a hairy moment," fire Battalion Chief Mario Rueda said. Firefighters then fought the blaze from the outside, pouring streams of water from ladder trucks extended high above the roof. The fire damaged or destroyed the nightclub, a tattoo parlor, a skin care store and a vacant shoe store, Battalion Chief Ronnie Villanueva said. The cause of the fire was under investigation and arson specialists were at work, Villanueva said. The fire occurred in an area known worldwide as the heart of Hollywood. Pink stars honoring celebrities such as James Stewart and Judy Garland dot the boulevard outside the building, which is near such landmarks as the art deco Pantages Theater and the cylindrical Capitol Records building. The Basque, built in the 1920s or '30s, has been a Howard Johnson's restaurant, a nightclub called Deep, a music studio and other businesses through the years. Matt Damon played cards in the building (when it was Deep) for scenes in the remake of the movie "Ocean's Eleven," LaBonge said. Lindsay Lohan celebrated her 21st birthday there and Kanye West partied there just last week. Copyright © 2008, KTLA
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