Ashland Hydroponics Store Shuttered After Early Morning Blaze

Debris littered the sidewalk and the smell of smoke hung in the air outside Grower's Choice Hydroponics after an early morning blaze that left the business shuttered Monday. 

Firefighters arriving after 2 a.m. Monday morning saw heavy smoke and flames issuing from the roof and front door of the gardening and nursery equipment store on East 14th  Street, said Aisha Knowels, a spokeswoman for the Alameda County Fire Department. 

Crews quickly controlled the one alarm blaze, she said. The fire was contained to the nursery, which suffered about $100,000 worth of structural damage and an additional $200,000 in property loss. 

No one was injured in the incident. 

After the first crews arrived on scene, the one-alarm fire was upgraded to a second alarm, Knowles said.

Once the second unit responded to the scene, the second alarm was canceled, she said.

"I rarely come here," said Reed Wirlans, a customer who was waiting outside the store just after 10 a.m. Monday. Wirlans said he hadn't known about the fire when he came to pick up some additional items on his way out of town. 

 Investigators are still working to determine the cause of the blaze. 

~ Bay City News Service contributed to this report