Firefighter injured; 5 businesses closed after Sterling Heights blaze

STERLING HEIGHTS - Five Sterling Heights businesses are temporarily closed after a late night fire at the strip mall.

A firefighter suffered minor injuries, while it may be awhile before the strip mall is back in service.

The fire started in the kitchen of Wing Lee Chinese, and although the fire stayed contained, thick clouds of smoke billowed into four other businesses, and one vacant unit.

One firefighter was injured, getting an electric shock on scene. He was treated at the hospital and returned back to work.

"It's affects a lot for us," said Thung Nguyen who works at Lovely Nails.

The strip mall is located at 15 Mile just west of Dodge Park Road began burning around 11 p.m. Sunday night.

"We don't know what to do, we're just shocked," said Nguyen. "We just don't know what to do."

Lovely Nails and Wild Bill's Smoke Shop took the brunt of the smoke damage while a new alarm system at a neighboring women's health office, kept the situation from getting any worse.

"We just had the alarm system installed about a year and a half ago," said Rochelle Phillips of Woman Care, OBGYN. "If it wasn't for this alarm system, they wouldn't have been aware of it as soon as they were. And you see how much damage is done."

Insurance workers met with business owners throughout much of the day, assessing the damage, and helping to determine how long they'll stay closed.

"We have to call them and see what we can do," Nguyen. "But for now, I don't know how long (we'll be closed)."