Major Blaze Destroys Store, Closes Road

A major blaze destroyed a Lawndale drapery store Wednesday afternoon, sending huge plumes of smoke into the sky and closing Hawthorne Boulevard to northbound traffic for hours, fire officials said. More than 60 Los Angeles County firefighters battled the fire at D. N. Yardage Outlet, 16510 Hawthorne Blvd., for three hours before putting out the flames at 2:30 p.m., a county fire spokeswoman said. No one was injured in the fire, which caused an estimated $600,000 damage. The cause of the fire is under investigation.