WESTFIELD – A Monday night blaze destroyed a popular city convenience store and displaced nine residents from the adjoining 
apartments.
The fire broke out around 9:30 p.m. Monday night and destroyed the Variety store, located at 94 Meadow Street.
When firefighters arrived on scene, there was heavy smoke and fire coming out of the side, back part of the building, according to Westfield Fire Deputy Chief Mark Devine.
“They knocked some of the fire out from outside,” Devine said, “and then went inside and knocked the rest out.”
Damage is estimated at $80,000 for the structure and $30,000 for the store’s contents due to “heat, fire and smoke damage,” Devine said.
“The store will probably need to be totally redone,” he said. “All the store’s contents were lost and there is a lot of structural damage.”
The apartments only sustained minimal damage.
Mohammed Azam owns the store, said Azam’s son, Jabir Khan, who lives with his father and their family in the adjoining affected apartments. Khan said that they do not know the extent of the damage to their residence as they have not yet been allowed back into the building.
Khan noted that the fire broke out shortly after the convenience store closed at 9 p.m.
Tina Sampson, who lives at 171 Main St. near Exchange St., told The Westfield News that she could see flames from her residence.
There were no injuries to the apartment residents nor to firefighters.
As of Tuesday morning, fire crews were still on the scene and the state Fire Marshall had arrived and is investigating the cause
.
Staff Writer Christine Charnosky can be reached at [email protected]
Follow her on Twitter @charnoskyWNG
