SACRAMENTO, Calif. — An early morning fire at a Sacramento strip mall rendered the entire structure unsafe and crushed the dreams of business owners.
"I got a bunch of phone calls telling me my building was on fire," said business owner Mack Block.
The strip mall on Florin Road and Franklin Boulevard caught fire around 4:30 a.m., destroying a nail salon, print shop, insurance company and a nonprofit.
The cause of the fire is unknown, but the Sacramento Fire Department made quick work of extinguishing the blaze.
"[We] tried to make a push into the building to go interior but they were met with heavy fire. They did a tactical retreat and decided it was going to be a defensive operation only,” said Sacramento Fire Captain Justin Sylvia.
He says they were alerted by someone calling 911 to report the fire. A total of 60 firefighters responded to the call, which required additional water pressure for the hydrants. Firefighters had to attack the blaze from ladders due to the fire reaching into the attic.
"That’s about a thousand gallons a minute per ladder, so 3,000 gallons a minute,” said Sylvia.
Paul Joseph Yang was looking to start up a nonprofit and was in the process of getting a license to create a food pantry.
“The moment that I saw this, it took me back to the war, the Vietnam War back in Laos and those images flashed before me,” said Yang. “We were planning on spending our first Christmas here."
These stores aren’t just personal losses but a void in the community.
Block, with Mack Lab Media, has two decades of being in business — 10 of them at this location alone. He says south Sacramento needs more resources.
“This is a reflection of it because it’s affecting a Black business that started from the ground up. This is... a devastating blow to the community because I can’t service them. We are a staple in the community, we serve a lot of nonprofits,” said Block.
Business owners huddled together and watched firefighters work. Two owners called 911 the day before about two fires started by transients.
“The fire department, they put the mattress out, so the guy in the front that started the fire in the front... I don’t know what happened to him,” said Yang.
Sacramento Fire says they are aware of those fires but "nothing is pointing that direction that it was an exterior fire that got inside,” according to Sylvia.
Sylvia says they are pulling surveillance video and talking to witnesses trying to figure out where it started.
This mall is a total loss, leaving only the shell of the businesses that were once there. Business owners say they will be looking for alternative locations to set up shop.
WATCH MORE: Florin Road strip mall fire | Raw video
