Major regional mall in Northern California burns after standoff

[n2doc]

DON THOMPSON
Associated Press Writer
3:35 a.m. CDT, October 22, 2010

ROSEVILLE, Calif. (AP) — Part of a high-end regional mall that is one of the main retail centers in a broad swath of Northern California was destroyed Thursday after police say a man barricaded himself inside and started a fire.

Police said the man holed up in a video game store at the Roseville Galleria and started a small blaze that later blew up, damaging an entire arm of the mall.

The 1.3 million-square-foot Galleria was evacuated by the time the fire erupted and spread to the roof, and no injuries were reported.

City officials said part of the roof on the mall's south end collapsed. After the clouds of smoke cleared, overhead television images showed the charred remains of retail stores, many of which were gutted.

Roseville Fire Department spokesman Dennis Mathisen said the fire burned a wing of the mall that appeared to extend several hundreds yards between two anchor tenants, Macy's and J.C. Penney. He said water and smoke damage was extensive beyond that wing.

The Galleria, which is about 17 miles east of the state capital, generates approximately $3.2 million for the city in annual sales tax revenue and could be closed or limited in operations for months.

more

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-ap-us-calif-mall-evacuated,0,7469108.story

[Javaman]

1. While I feel bad for those folks who lost their jobs because of this half wit...

I don't feel sorry for the loss of the mall.