Blaze destroys Salida grocery store under construction

Flames on Thursday morning destroyed the wood framing of a grocery store being built on Broadway Avenue, sending a thick plume of black smoke above the small town along Highway 99.

The second-alarm fire was initially reported about 5:30 a.m. at the construction site on Broadway Avenue and Curtis Street, just a few blocks west of Highway 99 in Salida.

Firefighters leaving their station two blocks from the fire could see flames coming out of the burning wood frame of the building, said Chief Dale Skiles of the Salida Fire Protection District. Firefighters from Modesto and Ripon were called to help put out the fire.

Skiles said firefighters took a defensive stance, dousing the flames with water and keeping the blaze from spreading to nearby businesses. He said firefighters continued to attack the flames with water for about 30 to 45 minutes before they had the blaze under control.

No injuries were reported, Skiles said, and nobody was at the construction site when firefighters arrived. Investigators had not yet determined the cause of the fire.

Residents said the store was under construction for a few months before Thursday’s fire. They said they were looking forward to having a grocery store in town; closer than stores in Modesto on the other side of Highway 99.

“To actually not have to cross over and go to Save Mart (in Modesto). We’d have a full-on grocery store,” said Shannon McCleary, one of about a dozen residents who stood across the street and watched the charred remains of the future Salida business.

Stanislaus County sheriff’s deputies closed Broadway Avenue for about an hour as firefighters worked to put out the blaze.

This story was originally published July 20, 2017 at 8:00 AM with the headline "Blaze destroys Salida grocery store under construction."