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Mar 28, 2008 11:46 am US/Eastern
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Northborough Strip Mall Fire Ruled Arson
NORTHBOROUGH (WBZ) ―
A 5-alarm fire that gutted a strip mall in Northborough early Tuesday is likely a case of arson, according to investigators.
The fire destroyed five businesses and forced police to shut down Route 20 for several hours.
Northborough Fire Chief David Durgin estimated the total damages at $1 million.
The most notable business was O'Brien's Five and Dime which has been a part of Northborough for more than 50 years.
Durgin says the fire was reported shortly before 3 a.m. by a passing limousine driver.
The shopping center did not have fire alarms or sprinklers; but was not required to because it was built before the fire code went into effect.
Anyone with information is asked to call the arson hotline at 1-800-682-9229.
"The Arson Watch Reward Program provides rewards of up to $5,000 for information that helps to solve an arson fire. Many, many cases are solved by a lead or tip that comes from the community itself," said State Fire Marshal Stephen Coan.
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(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)