Greater-Alarm Blaze Engulfs Sherman Oaks Strip Mall
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – A greater-alarm fire ripped through a strip mall in Sherman Oaks late Wednesday night.
The fire was reported at 10:48 a.m. in a single-story strip mall containing five businesses in the 15000 block of Ventura Boulevard, off Noble Avenue.
Dozens of Los Angeles Fire Department crews arrived on scene to find heavy flames and smoke billowing from the structure.
Because of the size of the fire and the danger it posed to the integrity of the structure, crews were forced to take a defensive position. Firefighters also had to contend with "stubborn pockets of fire" burning in the attic of the building, LAFD reported. There were also charged power lines on the north side of the building.
It took 75 firefighters about 80 minutes to bring the fire under control, LAFD said. There were no injuries.
Firefighters remained on scene overnight to remove debris. It's unclear if all five businesses in the building were damaged or destroyed.
LAFD arson investigators were working to determine the cause.
