A three-alarm fire overnight Thursday burned down a popular neighborhood marketplace in Castro Valley, according to the Alameda County Fire Department.
The Lake Chabot Public Market was destroyed by the flames, which were so intense, firefighters at one point had to pull back from the structure in defensive mode to keep the blaze from spreading to neighboring buildings and homes, fire officials said.
The fire erupted at about 2:20 a.m. Thursday. Crews initially were fighting the fire from inside the building, but after roughly an hour, the roof began to collapse, and they had to pull out, officials said.
The public market consisted of six business, including a butcher, a barbecue place, a milk and cookie bar, a poke bar, a ramen place and boba tea spot, according to the market's website.
All those businesses were destroyed.
Fire officials advised staff at nearby Chabot Elementary School to have children shelter in place until all hot spots were extinguished.
An Alameda County Fire battalion chief who was raised in Castro Valley and often ate lunch at the market said it is family owned and was a pillar of the community.
Local
A fire department investigator was slated to be at the scene later Thursday morning to try to determine the cause of the blaze, but a battalion chief told NBC Bay Area it does not appear suspicious.
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