Fire destroys two businesses in Olde Towne shopping center

Vestavia Hills firefighters battled flames at Olde Towne shopping center for several hours Monday morning.

The fire department received a call about the fire around 2:30 a.m., said Lt. Ryan Farrell, and was putting out the last few hot spots just before 8 a.m.

“It was actually burning through to the attic,” Farrell said. “It was well advanced when we got there.”

Because there were no lives at risk in the fire, Farrell said the department took precautions in regard to firefighter safety. They were unsure of the structural integrity of the building and did not want to put firefighters on the roof, he said, which made some spots difficult to reach.

Determining the cause of the fire will be a challenging task due to the amount of damage and digging investigators will have to do, Farrell said.

There was significant fire damage to Ichiban Japanese Steakhouse and Sushi Bar as well as Pure Fitness in the shopping center, and Farrell said other nearby businesses have water damage.

“I know all the businesses or most of the businesses had water damage just because of the amount of water that was used,” Farrell said. “They all sustained some sort of water damage throughout that strip center.”

Farrell said the wood frame construction and lack of a sprinkler system affected how quickly the fire was able to progress. While the building was up to code for the time period it was built, a sprinkler system could have helped slow the fire.

“Our folks did a good job," he said. "They had a ton of fire when they pulled up, and their priorities were protecting the unaffected businesses on either side, minimizing the damage.”

A Vestavia Hills firefighter was also transported to the hospital for a medical issue. It was just a precaution, Farrell said, and the firefighter has since been released.