Business Loop 70 reopens after strip mall fire Friday morning

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Part of East Business Loop 70 is back open after a fire broke out at a strip mall early Friday morning.

The fire started just before 5 a.m., shutting down the roadway between Garth Avenue and Grand Avenue.

Columbia Fire Capt. John Card says an MU ambulance crew spotted smoke coming from the strip mall while returning from a call and reported it.

Firefighters responded quickly and had the fire under control within 10 minutes. No injuries were reported, and the cause is still under investigation.

An afternoon press release from the Columbia Fire Department says the fire was found in a storage room..

Eastbound Business Loop 70 was closed for about an hour and a half and reopened around 6:30 a.m. A portion of the westbound lanes was also temporarily shut down.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.