PHOTOS: Several businesses erupted in flames early Monday in an old strip mall along the main business strip in White Center, officials said.
Crews initially responded to the scene, at 16th Avenue and Roxbury Street, at around 2 a.m. after receiving reports of smoke and flames at the site. A second alarm was sounded soon afterward, and firefighters have been at the scene since then, battling the stubborn flames that are hard to reach because of the way the buildings are constructed.
"Basements and the fire in them have made entry very dangerous and this fire continues to be defensive," fire officials said in a tweet.
At least six businesses have burned. The intersection of 16th and Roxbury was closed for hours by the fire. Roxbury has since reopened but parts of 16th remain closed.