Firefighters extinguish fire at downtown Cedar Rapids strip mall

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - Firefighters responded to a fire at a strip mall at 705 3rd Avenue SE, just before 3 a.m. on Wednesday.

In a news release, firefighters said they found a single-story masonry building with heavy smoke and fire seen coming from the front of the building. Firefighters cut a hole in the roof to exhaust heat and smoke from the attic.

Crews brought the fire under control in 23 minutes. The fire damage was confined to the Sister’s Boutique, with the rest of the building sustaining minor smoke damage.

No one was in the building at the time of the fire.

Officials have not said what may have caused the fire.