Fitchburg Strip Mall Gutted By 4-Alarm Fire

FITCHBURG (CBS) – There's no word yet on what caused a four-alarm fire that gutted a strip mall in Fitchburg overnight.

Flames broke out in the complex on River Street around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday and quickly spread to the roof. Part of the building collapsed.

A section of the facade came down near a Fitchburg fire lieutenant and just missed hitting him.

No one was inside at the time and authorities say no one was hurt.

But, Fitchburg fire chief Kevin Roy said some hydrants were buried and others were frozen.

"The sprinkler system in this building has been shut down for a few weeks, it was frozen during the cold weather.  Some of the buildings in the strip mall were occupied. Some of them were not," Roy told reporters.

The only business in the strip mall currently open is Beamer's Pub. The others are vacant.