The front door of Guerrero's Market at 106 S.E. 2nd St., in Ontario is littered debris after a fire early Monday morning. (The Enterprise/PAT CALDWELL)
In the community

PHOTO GALLERY: Firefighters from across the local area respond to Ontario blaze

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ONTARIO – A major structure fire erupted at Guerrero’s Market early Monday morning, destroying the building and a second-story apartment complex.

Fire crews responded to the blaze at about 2:30 a.m. after Ontario police helped evacuate 16 people who lived in the Pricebuster Apartments above the store. Fire crews from Weiser, Fruitland, Vale, Nyssa and Ontario responded to the blaze. About 20 firefighters worked to douse the fire.

There were no injuries reported.

The two-story building is at 106 S.E. 2nd St., one block south of East Idaho Avenue.

No cause of the fire has been determined. The fire is under investigation according to Terry Leighton, Ontario Fire and Rescue chief. The building, according to Leighton, is owned by Mike Clauson.

Leighton said the American Red Cross met with the occupants of the apartments the day of the fire and offered helped, including money to get a motel room.

He said the displaced tenants also were directed to local organizations, such as Community in Action and Origins Faith Community in Ontario, to seek assistance.

Leighton said firefighters were helped by the existence of a sprinkler system inside the apartment complex.

“I think it would have burned a whole lot more without those sprinklers,” he said.

As it is, the building is nearly a total loss, said Leighton.

Firefighters from across the lower Treasure Valley responded to the fire that scuttled Guerrero’s Market and the Pricebuster Apartments in Ontario early Monday morning. (The Enterprise/PAT CALDWELL)
Debris from the blaze that damaged Guerrero’s Market and the Pricebuster Apartments lays scattered across the street early Monday morning. (The Enterprise/PAT CALDWELL)
Evidence of the power of the fire that damaged Guerrero’s Market and the Pricebuster Apartments one block south of East Idaho Avenue early Monday morning is evident in one of the busted windows of the apartment complex. (The Enterprise/PAT CALDWELL)
The fire quickly consumed the rooms in the Pricebuster Apartments. (The Enterprise/PAT CALDWELL)
The vestiges of a fire sit outside the Pricebuster Apartments early Monday morning after a fire destroyed the building. (The Enterprise/PAT CALDWELL)
Fire crews from across the valley responded to the blaze at 106 S.E. 2nd St. in Ontario early Monday morning. (The Enterprise/PAT CALDWELL)
A red cup stands out in a pile of rubble and debris from the aftermath of the fire. (The Enterprise/PAT CALDWELL)

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