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Traffic in the area of Irwin and 7th Street is blocked off for 2 blocks in every direction around the fire.
The flames broke out around 12:30 a.m. Monday morning. The building is an historic building, built around 1872, that houses at least seven local businesses. The fire chief said firefighters had initially gone into the building to fight the flames, but then backed out for fear of the infrastructure collapsing.
Anda Hofmans, an employee at Upscale 7 Salon, heard about the fire and arrived on scene to assess the damage. "I'm absolutely devastated. My ex-mother-in-law used to own this, so I raised my kids down here... It was like my second home."
Action News talked with the Sharps -- the family who owns the building. They have also owned the Vendome Hotel since the 1950's. They were too distraught to talk on camera, but plan to be on the scene later to assess the damage.
About 30 firefighters from Hanford and Kings County Fire Deparments worked to fight the fire.
No one was inside the building when the fire started and there are no reports of injuries. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
