CENTENNIAL, Colo. — Four businesses are closed after the City of Centennial business inspector declared them uninhabitable due to damage from a strip mall fire Thursday morning, South Metro Fire Rescue (SMFR) said. No one was injured.
Bawarchi Indian Cuisine, Happy Paw Grooming, Baker’s Inn and Vi Vi Vietnamese Noodle Soup & Grill all have storefronts in the strip mall on E. Arapahoe Road, just east of S. Havanna Street.
SMFR arrived at the strip mall around 1:18 a.m. Thursday. Firefighters got the flames under control inside the strip mall building but then found another active fire on the roof.
Because of how long firefighters were working to tamp down the blaze, additional crews were dispatched to help. Two lanes of eastbound Arapahoe Road closed in the area as SMFR worked. Drivers were asked to be cautious traveling through the area.
SMFR said the fire was under control by 2:53 a.m. Thursday.
The fire started in the kitchen of Barwarchin Indian Cuisine, according to SMFR, causing significant fire damage to the kitchen and roof. The other three businesses sustained smoke and water damage.
SMFR firefighters found a rear door open but did not see any signs of foreced entry or suspicious activity. The SMFR Fire Marshal's Office is investigating what started the fire.
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