Fire Strikes Peirano Market

A three-alarm fire tore through the historic Peirano market on Main Street on Monday afternoon, but was quickly doused by city firefighters.

The fire broke out shortly before 2 p.m. in an upstairs storage area of the crumbling brick building.

Fearing that the blaze would spread to neighboring businesses, fire crews responded aggressively by breaking down a side door and cutting holes in the roof for ventilation.

A team with a hose entered from the first floor and sprayed toward the second level as about 100

people crowded a nearby courtyard to watch.

The blaze was nerve-racking for Ventura firefighters because the 119-year-old building is seismically unsound and city planners have warned that it could collapse.

In addition, fire officials knew that transients have been sneaking into the boarded-up building, which meant victims could have been trapped inside.

“The reality is, we had to get in there,” Fire Chief Dennis Downs said. “Instead of being able to back off and take time, we had to get in and fight it aggressively.”

No injuries were reported, and no damage estimates were made because the building has stood vacant for years.

“It was pretty gutted already,” said Mike Harris, manager of the city’s Emergency Medical Services program and spokesman for the incident.

Fire officials have labeled the blaze “suspicious,” which means it was either set by accident or arson, they said.

They have ruled out the possibility that it was sparked by electrical wires because the electricity had been shut off to reduce the risk of fire.

“We are not going to do any further investigation,” Harris said. “It is not a safe building to be in.”

Although no one was found inside the structure and no was was seen leaving the area, Downs said that “for right now it is probable that it was started by a transient. But we can’t confirm it.”

The fire rattled the nerves of downtown business owners and merchants. Former Mayor Tom Buford was at his office about a block away when he saw the smoke.

“I think they have it under control, but I think it was scary for a moment for all the people in business along this row,” he said, pointing to the thrift stores and antique shops that line the 200 block of Main Street.

Antonio Medeiros, a member of the neighboring Knights of Columbus, helped firefighters gain access to the building by opening a chained gate to a back alley.

“I saw the smoke in the building,” he said. “I went and got the key and opened the gate. . . . The smoke was coming out of the top.”

Built in 1877, the Peirano grocery is one of the oldest and most historically significant buildings in downtown Ventura.

Located across the street from the San Buenaventura Mission, it stands on the site of a 200-year-old lavaderia, an old Chumash washing basin.

It is one of just five local buildings on the National Registry of Historic Places.

But the abandoned storefront has also become a haven for the city’s homeless, who sneak inside for shelter. Ventura police have chased transients out of the building as recently as two days ago.

“It is an ongoing problem that we have to stay on top of,” said Officer Ron Rojo, who works out of the downtown police storefront about two blocks away.

“It is not just with the Peirano building but with other vacant buildings downtown,” he said. “We have found transients inside. We have even found people on the roofs.”

Police plan to step up patrols around the Peirano building after Monday’s fire, Rojo said.

Meanwhile, city officials said they will continue to pursue negotiations with a developer to refurbish the site.

“We are moving as fast as we can,” City Manager Donna Landeros said. “What complications this creates, I don’t know.”

The city bought the building nine years ago for $150,000 from family grocer Nick Peirano Jr., whose father is said to have once lived in the upstairs storage room where the fire started.

Last week, the City Council decided to award Ventura developer Jim Ludwig the rights to develop the site. Ludwig was working on plans for a proposed restaurant and deli when a friend called to tell him Peirano’s was on fire.

“I couldn’t believe it,” said a distressed Ludwig, who raced over from his office to assess the damage.

“My interest in the building goes beyond real estate and redevelopment,” he said. “I think that it is part of our history and something that transcends many generations.”

Ludwig said the fire should not create problems or delays to his proposed development. Some city leaders said that it may even create a renewed sense of urgency.

“I think that all it will do is speed up the process,” Councilman Jim Monahan said.

Times correspondent Scott Hadly contributed to this story.