A historic hotel in California suffered from deadly mudslides after the Thomas Fire, requiring extensive cleaning and restoration. An estimated 13.1 million pounds of mud was removed from the 22-acre property, including 2 feet of mud in the entire HVAC system.
ATI was able to do “whatever it takes” to remediate the site within three months, reopening the hotel within six months, after completely cleaning and restoring the club, fitness center, beachside areas, HVAC systems, and all rooms and contents of the hotel.
The Situation
A series of mudslides after the Thomas Fire prompted a luxury hotel in Santa Barbara, California to call ATI for emergency service and remediation. ATI had just finished cleaning the exteriors of the classic 1927 hotel from the blaze when soil saturation from heavy rainfall and deforestation from the fires caused deadly mudslides.
The Solution
In addition to the extensive cleanup of the courtyard and gardens, ATI teams cleaned the resort’s club, fitness center and beachside areas. The HVAC systems, which were saturated with more than two feet of mud, needed to be removed and decontaminated. All of the rooms were sanitized and deodorized. Demolition of affected areas took place after hotel contents—including more than 4,000 bottles of wine and liquor, china, kitchenware and indoor and outdoor furniture—were carefully packed out and placed in a climate-controlled storage facility.
During the project, the sheriff’s rescue team asked ATI to remove large debris from a portion of the parking lot of the 22-acre property in search of two missing persons. ATI’s excavator scratched the mud surface to allow the sheriff’s team and cadaver dogs to sift through the area.
The removal of an estimated 13.1 million pounds of mud and remediation took less than three months to complete. Its expertise in managing large numbers of workers, its equipment resources and its determination to do “whatever it takes” helped ATI restore the landmark to its original radiance. The hotel reopened within six months.