24 October 2011

Cerritos Strip Mall is Likely a Total Loss, Fire Captain Says

Cerritos Strip Mall is Likely a Total Loss, Fire Captain Says

Fire investigators were working Monday morning to determine what caused a three-alarm fire at a popular strip mall in Cerritos early Sunday morning, said Matt Levesque, an inspector and spokesman for the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

The entire back building, which housed several small businesses, including the Imperial Mandarin Palace Chinese restaurant, where the fire began, is likely a complete loss, said Levesque.

“More than likely they’ll have to level the entire building,” Levesque said.

The official condition of the building will have to be determined by the City of Cerritos, according to Los Angeles County Fire Capt. Mark Savage.

Firefighters remained on the scene Sunday and Monday to assist business owners who showed up to survey the damage and gather any salvageable items, Savage said.

Savage could not confirm the names of all the businesses that were destroyed at the Fountain Plaza Mall on South Street and Gridley Road, but he said, people from a dental office and a bank were among the business owners who were getting help gathering their belongings.

Businesses at the mall included the restaurant, a driving school, a nail salon and an accounting office, according the mall website.

The website was updated Monday with a message that read, “some of the businesses listed below may not be open at this time.”

Damages were estimated at $5.5 million -- $4 million for the building and $1.5 million for its contents, according to fire officials.

Firefighters were called at about 2 a.m. Sunday to respond to the blaze, but it was too late to save the building, said Savage.

"It started collapsing when we were here so we had to pull out," he said.

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