Vacant San Bernardino building built in 1920s catches fire, highlighting city's need for revitalization

A historic building that has been vacant for years caught fire in San Bernardino on Monday, prompting city leaders and residents alike to call for revitalization. 

The 100-year-old building, which used to be the Harris Department Store, hasn't been legally occupied for some time but is still considered an iconic piece of the city's history. 

"It was the first building in the Inland Empire to have an escalator, which was a big thing back in the 1940s," said San Bernardino County Department Public Information Officer Eric Sherwin. 

The building was once connected to the Carousel Mall, which shuttered in 2017 and was torn down last year after it became a hotspot for crime — like break-ins and fires. 

Many people believe that's exactly what happened at the Harris Department Store building on Monday. 

"This is an abandoned building that's suffered from decades of neglect," Sherwin said. "As soon as we made entry, we started coming across people who were living inside the building, on the very floor of this building."

He believes that there were more than a dozen people sheltered inside. 

The firefight was an intense one, Sherwin says, with temperatures ranging from 180 degrees to several hundred degrees as they got closer to the actual flames. 

He says that the old concrete and stone building created an oven-like atmosphere for firefighters. Because of this, it took more than 100 units on rotating shifts to contain the fire several hours later. 

While the exact cause of the blaze remains under investigation, Sherwin says it likely started inside of the building. 

"I believe it started with the homeless folks in the building," said San Bernardino Mayor Helen Tran. 

She says that the city has started the process of acquiring the building in hopes of revitalizing it, but the end goal is still a long way off with an untold amount of repairs anticipated. 

In the meantime, while people who live and work nearby think it would be great to have the rejuvenated building reopen its doors to businesses, they're worried that the currently empty lots and unoccupied spaces could be the next to go up in smoke if something isn't done quickly.