Massive fire causes damage at Gastonia strip mall

GASTONIA, N.C. — A fire caused major damage at a Gaston County strip mall Thursday morning.

Flames were shooting from the roof of the strip mall on Old York Road around 4:30 a.m.

“We were in the bed and heard a big boom, and when we got up, the back of the building was on fire,” neighbor Loretta Knight said.

She was asked to leave her home behind the building.

Those who stayed were uncomfortable.

“You can feel the heat through the walls,” neighbor Robert Armstrong said.

Thursday was a heartbreaking day for Roy Gunn, who started the strip mall with one shop.

“All of the stuff from the last 40 years is gone down the drain,” he said.

There were five businesses under one roof. Now, most of the roof is gone.

Sheila Leonard’s tax office was near the center of the building.

“It's a shock, but (I’m) also thankful we weren't in the building,” Leonard said.

Investigators believe the fire started in a tin shed behind the building. They are taking samples from a possible accelerant that will be sent to the SBI lab in Raleigh.

“Digging further into it. We are going to have to spend a little bit more time on it,” said Deputy Fire Marshal Allen Middleton.

Fire investigators said it will take a month or two to get results from the state lab.

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