Stadium Shopping Centre fire: Community mourns 'heartbreaking' loss of strip mall

People who live and work near theStadium Shopping Centreare calling it a huge loss for the communityafter a fire destroyed four shops and restaurants in the northwest strip mall and damaged two others.

"It's pretty devastating seeing the wreckage.... It hurts after 20 years of being in business," saidDavid Phui, whoseparents owned theHi-Ballrestaurant.

"I'vebeen working here since I was 12. I grew up here almost," he added.

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Firefighters are still on scene at the strip mall following Thursday's massive blaze,battling flare-ups in the debris of the businesses that were bulldozed following the fire.

Meanwhile, University Elementary School, located just west of the shopping centre in the city's northwest, was closed due to ongoing air quality issues in the area.

The Hi-Ball restaurant, the Saigon Star restaurant, The Cat House and the Billingsgate Seafood Market were all gutted by flames.

"It's a real loss to the community, a real part of their history," said Peter Khu, president of the University Heights Community Association.

"These businesses that were lost [were] truly iconic...It's really sad to see them go."

Khu says the strip mall was not just frequented by locals, but staff at Foothills Hospital, Alberta Children's and the University of Calgary due to its central location.

"So it's really not just about this small neighbourhood. It affects a lot of other Calgarians," Khu said.

New life

Western Securities owns the Stadium Shopping Centre and says it plans to redevelop it.

"We're happy to hear that so far there has been no serious reported injuries so that's the most important thing," said Mike Brescia, vice-president of Western Securities.

"We've got to see what happens with insurance and how that works going forward," he added.

Brescia says there is no word on what caused the fire.

He says his company will be reviewing the extent of the damage with tenants and working with them toward the best solution.

The Calgary Board of Education says University ElementarySchool is closed today over possible air quality issues.

The CBE says it looked for other options to temporarily relocate students, but couldn't find any.

It says it's continuing to work with the fire department to assess the situation so classes can resume on Monday.

Flames were spotted around 7:30 a.m. MT Thursday, coming from the roof of the Billingsgate Seafood Market.

Two firefighters went to hospital for minor injuries, and the Alberta Children's Hospital treated a student from a nearby school for breathing problems.