ARSON DAMAGES STRIP MALL.Byline: Josh Kleinbaum Staff Writer Six stores in a strip mall strip mall n. A shopping complex containing a row of various stores, businesses, and restaurants that usually open onto a common parking lot. Noun 1. were hit by an arsonist Wednesday who threw gasoline bombs through the stores' glass windows and doors, causing severe damage to the building just two years after another arson arson, at common law, the malicious and willful burning of the house of another. Originally, it was an offense against the security of habitation rather than against property rights. fire closed businesses there. Firefighters were called to the strip mall in the 8700 block of Sunland Boulevard just before 2 a.m., Fire Department spokesman Jim Wells Jim Wells MLA (born 27 April 1957) is a politician from the Democratic Unionist Party and a deputy speaker of the Transitional Assembly (Northern Ireland). Wells is one of six Assembly members for South Down. said. When firefighters arrived, six stores in the strip mall had broken glass and fire smoldering smol·der also smoul·der intr.v. smol·dered, smol·der·ing, smol·ders 1. To burn with little smoke and no flame. 2. inside. ``The fires in five of the stores were small,'' Wells said. ``The fire in one occupancy, Outlet Discount, had fire showing with heavy smoke when we arrived on the scene.'' Gladys' Outlet Discount was the most heavily damaged business. As cleanup efforts at the discount store began, a tattered tat·tered adj. 1. Torn into shreds; ragged. 2. Having ragged clothes; dressed in tatters. 3. a. Shabby or dilapidated. b. Disordered or disrupted. shoe box, burned to a crisp but still in one piece, sat atop a pile of ashes. Around the box sat the remains of Gladys' inventory - pots and pans, furniture, a baby stroller. Everything was the same color: charcoal black. ``Who would do such a thing?'' said Janeth Gonzalez, whose family owns the Super Discount 99 Cent store, which is right next to Gladys' Outlet Discount. ``We don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. who did it. It's shocking.'' Some stores suffered only burned carpets and broken glass. Gladys' Outlet Discount was gutted. Vanity Fashions, Thai Pepper For a similar variety of Capiscum frutescens better known as peri-peri, see . Thai pepper (pronounced: Prik ki nu) in Thai refers to any of three cultivars of chili pepper, found commonly in Thailand, and also in neighbouring countries, such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Restaurant and Super Discount 99 Cents also suffered serious damage. Firefighters put out the blaze by 2:23 a.m. The Fire Department estimated $110,000 in damage, mostly to Gladys' Outlet Discount, Wells said. The strip mall had another arson fire on May 11, 2003, causing $700,000 in damage. Thai Pepper was closed for five months recuperating from that one, and owner Chayika Johnprodit is worried about a similar closure. ``I can't do business,'' Johnprodit said. ``I don't know how long. We need to do a lot of cleaning.'' Josh Kleinbaum, (818) 713-3669 josh.kleinbaum(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1) Anna Gonzalez, left, is consoled by a friend in front of the Super Discount 99 Cent store after the shop was damaged in a fire on Wednesday. Her family owns the store. (2) A charred doll sits on a shelf after the strip mall fire, which was caused by gasoline bombs. The Fire Department estimated $110,000 in damage to the stores. Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer |
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