A fire destroyed a historic strip mall in the Old Town area of Victorville, California, along the Route 66 corridor on Saturday night.
The blaze occurred in the 15000 block of Seventh Street (aka Route 66) in Victorville. The strip mall was so thoroughly involved with fire when firefighters arrived, they did not enter the building and concentrated on keeping the fire from spreading to other structures.
The Victor Valley News reported:
The site of the fire is a historic strip mall that dates back to the 50s and 60’s when popular brands like JC Penny’s and Sears occupied the building.
VVNG commenter Betty Marek said, “my parents used to own the Grocery store across the street from this shopping center. We changed the name from Luncefords Market to, Valley Center Market. We owned it from 1967 to 1975 when my parents retired. The shopping center where this fire was, was part of the shopping hub downtown Victorville. Sad to see this fire.”
Here is video of the blaze:
No one was injured. The fire’s cause remains undetermined, though the Victor Valley News noted eight fires have occurred in Victorville since mid-September, many of them suspicious. Some of the fires were residential, but others occurred in historic buildings, such as circa-1937 former Victor Valley Junior High School and the old El Rancho Theatre.
The latest fire is not on the same block as the California Route 66 Museum in Victorville, which is about a mile away. But if I were the directors of the museum, I’d have my guard up.
(Screen-capture image from Victor Valley News video of the fire)