Fire Razes Sierra Club Headquarters

A fire that began early Wednesday in an abandoned store two blocks from the state Capitol caused an estimated $1 million in damage to a downtown redevelopment district and destroyed the Sierra Club’s state headquarters.

Transients who frequented the area were seen running from the abandoned Metropolitan Army-Navy store on J Street, but investigators had not determined whether the fire was deliberately set.

Only minor injuries were reported among firefighters who battled the four-alarm blaze for three hours before bringing it under control, officials said.

The fire began in the two-story building shortly before 3 a.m. and spread to structures that house a dozen businesses, mostly small markets and restaurants.

The Sierra Club office around the corner on 9th Street lost valuable membership and donor lists dating back as far as 30 years, along with equipment used by the group’s Sacramento lobbyists and local Mother Lode chapter.

Sierra Club legislative representative Darryl Young estimated the organization’s losses at up to $200,000. He said a temporary office has been set up nearby.