4-alarm fire leaves 11 East Gun Hill Road businesses boarded up
Plywood now covers the front of all 11 storefronts, and the buildings remain under a full vacate order as debris still litters the ground.
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Business owners are assessing the damage one day after a four-alarm fire tore through a row of stores along East Gun Hill Road.
Plywood now covers the front of all 11 storefronts, and the buildings remain under a full vacate order as debris still litters the ground.
Several business owners said it took them years to build their businesses — and just one night to lose everything.
The owners of a Chinese restaurant along the strip said they have been part of the community for 15 years. They returned Saturday morning hoping to salvage what they could, but said there was very little left to save.
Many owners said they are unsure what the rebuilding process will look like or how insurance claims will play out in the coming weeks.
Engineers and a construction crew were on site Friday patching holes in the roof — an early step toward securing the building and eventually beginning repairs.
Several of the businesses along the stretch between Pearsall and Throop avenues have operated there for decades.
While most storefront businesses cannot reopen until the damage is repaired, one longtime business is already trying to adapt. Colwell’s Driving School, which has operated in the area for more than six decades, had a car driving around the block Saturday .
The business has updated its voicemail to tell customers it will be closed through the week, with more information about operations expected Monday.
