LOS ALTOS — A three-alarm fire that burned for hours heavily damaged a two-story shopping center in Los Altos on Christmas morning, the Santa Clara County Fire Department said.
The blaze at the building on El Camino Real, located between North San Antonio Road and Sherwood Avenue, caused the roof to collapse, forcing firefighters to retreat from battling the fire inside, officials said.
Crews headed to the building after receiving initial 911 calls about the fire around 4:50 a.m. Monday. Firefighters were able to prevent the fire from spreading to neighboring buildings and contained it as of 11 a.m.
No one was injured, Santa Clara County Fire Deputy Chief Matt Yost said.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Because of the collapsed roof, the county fire department has barred entry into the building. Yost said that it’s not yet known when tenants will be able to go inside to inspect the damage to their businesses.
One lane of El Camino Real near the fire scene will be closed to traffic until further notice, Yost said.
Raul Tamayo, who has run a judo club in the building since November 2022, said just last week he hosted a holiday potluck for his students. Now, the home for that community might be gone, he said in a phone interview Monday.
“I couldn’t believe it,” said Tamayo, who left his family’s Christmas celebration to watch from a distance as smoke consumed the structure.
Leyla Boissonnade, the owner of the Bay Area Dance School, said she was shocked to turn on the morning news and see the building where she opened her studio in 2012 engulfed in flames.
“This is where children build their dance careers,” she said over the phone on Monday, her voice cracking with emotion.
On a typical weekday, the building is frequented by families and children, Tamayo said. A tutoring center, salon and children’s Chinese library are also housed in the center.
Tamayo said he plans to find a temporary location in the interim.
“There’s nothing I can do today. I’m going to spend time with family members, and then tomorrow I’ll find out what I need to do,” Tamayo said. “Material things can all be replaced — I will get back up, and I’ll rebuild.”