Arson detectives investigating destructive fire at San Fernando Valley market
Los Angeles Fire Department arson investigators are probing a destructive fire that ripped through a Sun Valley strip mall early Sunday morning, destroying a beloved family-run market.
The blaze was reported at around 4:40 p.m. in the 8500 block of N. Sunland Boulevard, according to Los Angeles Fire Department officials. They said that first-arriving crews found "heavy fire" showing from the roof of the one-story building.
It took more than 100 firefighters approximately 30 minutes to contain the flames, according to LAFD. Officials said that both the Department of Building and Safety and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power were called to the scene, as well as the Department of Health and the gas company that services the strip mall.
As they continue looking into what may have caused the fire, LAFD officials said that arson detectives were requested.
No injuries were reported in the incident.
Video from the scene showed the gutted interior of El Compadre, the beloved Mexican market that was well regarded for its affordability.
An online fundraiser that was started to help the market's owners after the fire says that the store was totaled by the fire, and that all of the employees have lost their jobs, while the family's main source of income is now gone.
"This is the restaurant of my family," said Francisco Ramirez, who owns Mariscos Las Palmas, the restaurant next door to El Compadre. "My wife and more than six people work here."
Ramirez said that he's been told Los Angeles Police Department officers have security video showing a man riding up to the strip mall on a bicycle before sticking a bottle through a mail slot at the market. He says that the fire starts moments later.
