Surrey strip mall fire not suspicious, police say

An early morning fire tore through a Surrey strip mall, destroying several businesses and a place of worship.

A large, destructive fire at a strip mall in Surrey’s Whalley area in the early hours of Monday morning has been deemed not suspicious, according to police.

The Surrey Police Service says patrolling officers noticed smoke coming from the stores at the southwest corner of 108 Avenue and City Parkway around 2:30 a.m.

“As officers stopped to investigate the source of the smoke, they located a man leaving a business and arrested him,” a police statement issued Monday morning said.

The investigation has revealed the fire was not a result of criminal activity and the person has been released, the Surrey Police Service said in an afternoon update.

Surrey Fire battalion chief Dennis Bull told CTV News the fire spread to the roof and broke through it. Firefighters contained the blaze to three units, but they are considered a total loss. One of the units includes the All Nations Full Gospel Church.

“The roof is collapsed on the inside and the fire gutted it pretty extensively,” he said.

The surrounding stores will need to be inspected to determine whether those businesses can keep running, Bull added.

Nobody was injured in the fire.

“I was shattered; I didn’t know how to react,” Aanchal Rampal told CTV News. She owns Face 2 Face Salon in the complex and arrived to see it up in flames.

“This is where my life is this is what I’ve been doing for six years, so for me I just don’t know,” she said.

Fire inspectors are investigating the blaze.

With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Kevin Charach