Suspects In Santa Clara Strip Mall Fire Turn Themselves In
SANTA CLARA (KPIX 5) – Authorities say two people suspected of causing a major strip mall fire in Santa Clara Wednesday afternoon have turned themselves in. Two people were injured in the fire and a total of five businesses were destroyed.
Police said one of the suspects, 47-year-old Sara De Segura, drove her car into a gas pipe, sparking the massive inferno before taking off.
"I was heartbroken that these people who had these small businesses are now left with nothing than a burned building," said Mary Scribner, a customer of the strip mall.
A burnt and blackened ruin is all that remains of Poinciana Plaza, after police said a driver ruptured a gas line and sparked the fast-moving and stubborn fire.
"I hope the people who own their businesses can get back on their feet soon," said Mike Kennedy, a neighbor.
The building and businesses appear to be a complete loss.
Investigators said a security camera captured video of a woman driving an older model white Honda Accord smashing into the gas line, and then speeding away from the scene.
"I think they're cowards. I think they have no sense of responsibility," Scribner said. I mean they could have warned somebody. They could have gotten out and told somebody to call for help."
Firefighters struggled to cap the gas line, which sent a column of flames high into the air. The blaze spread from one business to the next, destroying a shopping center that had been a fixture in the community for decades.
"At one time, I used the Laundromat to wash my clothes. I used to get my hair cut at the barbershop. And I'd watch football games at the sports bar," Kennedy recalled.
Some of the business owners returned to survey the damage, but were too distraught to talk on camera.
The Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office will soon take over the investigation.