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Fire rips through Pico Rivera strip mall
One person was killed and a second person was hospitalized with severe burns after a fire erupted in a Pico Rivera strip mall.
PICO RIVERA, Calif. - A man was killed and a woman was hospitalized with severe burns after a fire ripped through a single-story strip mall in Pico Rivera Wednesday night.
Firefighters with the Los Angeles County Fire Department were called to the 9300 block of E. Whitter Boulevard at about 8 p.m.
Sky FOX showed heavy smoke that engulfed the area shortly after emergency crews arrived at the scene.
Fire officials say the fire sparked in the attic of a family-owned nail salon. Firefighters discovered one of the victims became trapped in flames and was rushed to Los Angeles County + USC Medical Center where he died overnight, fire officials said.
"He's very nice...he's very polite. I'm kind of shocked...I don't even know what to say because I know all of them," a witness told FOX 11 about the male victim.
Nearby stores in the strip mall were also damaged in the fire, including a Mexican seafood restaurant and an Enterprise Rent-A-Car.
Firefighters reported the blaze was knocked down by 9:05 p.m.
The names of the victims were not released.
No further details were immediately known.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
CNS contributed to this report.