Fire Crews Save 7 Shops in Mall Where Thrift Store Is Gutted

A two-alarm fire Thursday evening gutted a thrift store and threatened seven other shops in a strip mall, authorities said.

The fire at 6 p.m. quickly consumed the J&M; Thrift and Gift Store at 5521 Lincoln Ave., and left adjacent shops with minor damage, said Capt. Scott Brown of the Orange County Fire Authority.

The cause of the fire was under investigation Thursday night, and a damage estimate was not available, Brown said.

The fire blew out the thrift shop’s two storefront windows and was creeping toward stores on both sides when firefighters arrived, he said.

Efforts to save the other shops were hampered by their security gates, but firefighters sawed through the gates, he said.

Thirty Orange County and Anaheim firefighters controlled the fire by 6:28 p.m., Brown said.

“There’s a market, a graphics store, a liquor store and an appliance store also in that strip mall, and we’re happy to say they’ll be able to open tomorrow,” Brown said. “We were fortunate.”