Fire damages downtown Modesto market, threatens neighboring apartment building
A pre-dawn fire in a downtown market Tuesday morning led firefighters to evacuate an adjacent apartment building as a precaution. A Modesto Fire Department battalion chief put an early estimate of damage to the Mousa Market building and contents at $50,000.
About 4:20 a.m., Modesto, Ceres, Stanislaus Consolidated and Turlock City fire crews responded to reports of a working commercial structure fire on the 200 block of H Street in Modesto.
The first on scene found smoke and fire showing from the rear of the single-story convenience store. “Flames were licking up to the second-story windows” of the apartment building next door, Modesto Battalion Chief Jesse Nicasio said, so crews forced entry into that building to clear residents.
There was no damage to any apartments, so once the market fire was out, power was restored to the two-story building and residents were allowed back in, he said.
Crews also had to force entry into the market, where the fire appears to have begun in a utility and storage room before spreading out into the shopping area, Nicasio said.
The two-alarm blaze was contained to the rear of the building, and there were no injuries.
The Stanislaus Regional Fire Investigation Unit is working to determine cause.
