After several hours, the two-alarm blaze was brought under control. A roof caved in, but no firefighters were injured.
The precise source of the blaze has not been determined but Assistant Fire Chief Earl Fowler said the fire is thought to have started in a storage area on the second floor, which had boxes and holiday material.
For the adjacent Andy's Pizza, it is the second time in less than a year that the pizzeria has been affected by fire.
On Feb. 8, 1998, the shop was heavily damaged by a blaze believed to have been electrical in origin. The business reopened in October.
A firewall between businesses is cited as preventing more extensive damage. The shopping center has no sprinklers, however, because it was constructed prior to that being part of the building code.
There's no word on the final extent of damage to stores in the shopping center, but some may have suffered smoke damage.
The fire was confined primarily to the rear of the affected stores.
Investigators are speaking to witnesses for information about where the blaze might have started.
Click on the map to browse
• Credits
Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
