A stubborn two-alarm fire damaged an East El Paso shopping strip Monday, blocked a major street and sent columns of black smoke into the air that could be seen for miles, fire officials said.
Nearly 60 firefighters battled the blaze that heavily damaged several businesses at the Trevino Village shopping strip at 1346 Lee Trevino Drive next to Rojas Drive, a fire department spokesman said.
An investigation was underway Monday to determine the cause of the fire.
There were no reported injuries. Many of the businesses at the center were closed Monday for Memorial Day.
The strip center includes Good Coffee restaurant, Smokey's Pit Stop and Saloon, an Allstate insurance office and Trevino Transmission.
"I just didn't think it would get this crazy," said Marisol Andrus as she watched the building where she works burn. Andrus is office manager at the Andrus and Andrus Allstate insurance office.
"It (the fire) was very small and it as over the Good Coffee. I didn't think it would take the whole shopping center out," she said.
Heavy smoke and flames were coming out the back of a restaurant when the first group of firefighters arrived about 4:30 p.m., said Carlos Briano, a Fire Department spokesman.
Firefighters began to set trenches in the building to keep the fire from spreading but by 5:06 p.m. the fire was upgraded to a Condition Four meaning that firefighters required backup. The fire caused Lee Trevino Drive to be blocked.
"They started evacuating the businesses because conditions became dangerous inside," Briano said.
The blaze was declared a two-alarm fire at 5:22 p.m. and caused part of the roof to collapse before most of the fire was extinguished by 8 p.m., Briano said. Firefighters were still battling hot spots late Monday.
In addition to the nearly five dozen firefighters, fire crews used more than 25 fire-fighting vehicles, including at least three aerial ladder trucks to shoot down water on the burning building.
Nidia Calderon, of Horizon City, watched nervously as the fire spread, smoke wafted and debris fell as water cannons hit the building as Calderon's van, a 2009 Nissan Murano, sat parked outside Trevino Transmissions.
"My brother told me that 'the shopping center was burning where you have your van,' We were afraid it (the van) would be inside the business," Calderon said, hoping her vehicle would not get struck by falling debris.
Daniel Borunda may be reached at 546-6102; [email protected]; @BorundaDaniel on Twitter.
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