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A three-alarm fire ripped through a strip mall in the Sifton area of east Vancouver early today.
The fire was reported at 5:41 a.m. at Sifton Plaza, a four-unit retail complex at 13412 N.E. Fourth Plain Boulevard.
The complex is anchored by a Texaco gas station and the Oasis Market convenience store, and has three other small tenants.
Vancouver firefighters from nearby Station 4 arrived to find the complex already fully engulfed in flames. They called for a second alarm and began dousing the fire from the exterior of the building. A third alarm was called at 6:11 a.m., bringing a total of 36 firefighters and numerous apparatus to the scene.
Firefighters closed Fourth Plain, a major arterial, as they worked. Water sprayed on the fire was freezing on the ground, making ice a significant problem. Sanding crews were brought in to treat the street.
The Vancouver Fire Department was the lead agency on the fire, with help from Fire District 3 in Hockinson. The cause is under investigation by a fire marshal.
The building,which had an assessed value of $503,000, is a total loss. The fire was declared under control at 7:11 a.m., according to a fire department news release.
