PHOTOS: ‘Suspicious’ fire breaks out at Village Plaza shopping center in Daytona Beach

Flames quickly spread because strip mall does not have sprinkler suppression system, officials say

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A large fire was reported at a Daytona Beach shopping center in the early hours of Thanksgiving Day.

According to the Daytona Beach Fire Department, flames broke out around 4 a.m. Thursday at the Village Plaza shopping center at 1104 Beville Road, next to the Aldi grocery store.

Several units in the plaza were affected by the blaze but firefighters believe the flames started in a nutritional store located in the plaza.

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Fire officials said the flames were able to spread to the nearby units and create a larger fire because a sprinkler suppression system, which is used to help control or extinguish fires, was not in place.

“Firefighters were faced with this extremely large and difficult fire that was spreading to adjacent units as this particular strip did not have a sprinkler suppression system installed,” Daytona Beach fire officials said.

Firefighters said many of the units are not currently being leased and nobody was inside any of them when the fire broke out, as the businesses were closed overnight.

Daytona Beach fire officials are calling the fire suspicious and said the state fire marshal is investigating.

No other details were immediately available.

This is a developing story. Stay with News 6 and ClickOrlando.com for updates.

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According to the Daytona Beach Fire Department, a suspicious fire broke out around 4 a.m. Thursday at the Village Plaza shopping center at 1104 Beville Road. (Image: Daytona Beach Fire Department)