Fire in strip mall under investigation
By Carissa Marsh cmarsh@theacorn.com

A small fire early Wednesday morning damaged three businesses in a strip mall on Tapo Street, fire officials said.

Police officers responded to a call at 4:05 a.m. from a triggered motion alarm at 2355 Tapo St. and found a small fire inside the First Amendment Tattoo Shop, according to Simi Police Sgt. Adam Darough.

Firefighters received a call at 4:18 a.m. for a water main break, but when they arrived at the scene they realized the sprinklers inside the tattoo parlor had been activated due to the fire, said Bill Nash, spokesperson for the Ventura County Fire Department. "The fire sprinkler system did a great job of holding the fire until the firefighters could get there," Nash said.

Two adjoining stores were also affected by the fire, but Nash said most of the damage was water-related.

Nash said once the fire was out, firefighters worked to minimize damage by moving furniture and getting water out of the stores.

"It would be easy for us to walk away, but we don't do that. We do everything we can to minimize the damage and help the property owners," he said.

As of Thursday, the fire was still under investigation and no cause had been determined.

The building's sprinkler system showed its value in this instance, Nash said. "It was good work by the sprinkler system and good work by the fire department that kept this from becoming a big fire," he said.