Fire destroys 5 stores in Mount Vernon

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - Five attached businesses and the apartments above were destroyed in an early morning fire in Mount Vernon, New York. Firefighters battled the blaze in the strip mall along Gramatan Ave. The fire erupted in the basement of Sal's Deli sometime after midnight Monday, according to fire officials.

The fire forced the evacuation of residents from the apartments above the shop.

Two floors above the deli collapsed. The blaze also has spread to several other buildings, including a laundry facility and cleaners.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known.

With the Associated Press