5-Alarm Fire Destroys Businesses In Santa Clara Strip Mall

Firefighters battled a spectacular 5-alarm fire at a Santa Clara strip mall that sent flames and smoke towering into the early morning sky Wednesday, authorities said. Fire officials say they got a call around 3 a.m. reporting the fire at the L-shaped mall located on El Camino Real near the Lawrence Expressway. At least seven businesses including a hair salon, bakery and restaurant have been destroyed and others heavily damaged. At 5:30 a.m., firefighters were attempting to take a defensive position to halt the spread of the fire in an effort to save buisnesses not already damaged.