The Sears department store at La Cumbre Plaza suffered fire damage Saturday morning after a blaze ignited in the first-floor freight elevator room, according to the Santa Barbara Fire Department.
Engines responded to the store at 3845 State St. at 8:03 a.m. and employees had already evacuated from the building when firefighters arrived, Battalion Chief Robert Mercado said.
Smoke was showing on the second floor from the first-floor fire.
The fire was out by the time an engine company went inside, perhaps because of the room’s sealed door, Mercado said.
He said the fire caused significant damage to the room and components, estimated in the range of $50,000 to $75,000.
The cause of the fire is under investigation but it appears there were some combustible materials stored near the electrical equipment in the freight elevator room, which they’re not supposed to have, Mercado said.
There were no injuries in the fire.
— Noozhawk managing editor Giana Magnoli can be reached at gmagnoli@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
