Strip Mall Fire Deemed Suspicious, State Investigating

Daytona Beach, FL - An early morning fire is now under investigation after firefighters determined the cause of the fire to be suspicious in nature. Units with the Daytona Beach Fire Department (DBFD) were called to Village Plaza Shopping Center around 4 a.m. on Thursday (November 26th) for reports of a commercial structre fire. Several units in the strip mall, which sits next to an Aldi grocery store across the street from the Walmart Supercenter, were affected. According to a release from DBFD, the fire started at a nutritional store in the strip. Many of the other units that were affected were not leased or occupied at the time of the fire. The DBFD stated the fire was "extremely large and difficult" and easily spread to other units, as the strip mall did not have a sprinkler suppression system installed. Firefighters alter determined the cause to be suspicious and called the State Fire Marshal to investigate.