Massive San Gabriel Valley Strip Mall Fire Under investigation

SAN GABRIEL, CA — A fire heavily damaged a strip mall in San Gabriel Wednesday, but no one was hurt, authorities said.

The fire was reported about 6:30 a.m. at the Valley & New Center mall at Valley Boulevard and New Avenue, a fire dispatcher said.

The flames burned through the roof of the structure, which collapsed, and firefighters went into a defensive mote, surrounding the building and pouring water on the blaze to keep the fire from spreading to other structures.

Firefighters had the flames largely extinguished within about two hours but continued their efforts to douse hot spots. Firefighters from San Gabriel were assisted by personnel from Alhambra, Montebello and Pasadena.

Traffic was routed away from the area as a precaution, the San Gabriel Police Department reported. The cause of the fire was under investigation.

City News Service; Photo: Shutterstock