Electrical device likely to blame for fire at new Fargo strip mall

An employee of a Jimmy John’s restaurant at 2815 13th Ave. S. saw smoke about 8:30 a.m. as he walked past the rest of the strip mall, which is still under construction and will eventually house three other commercial tenants, said Battalion Chief Jason Ness of the Fargo Fire Department.

Ness said fire crews brought the small fire under control within about five minutes of arriving. While there was some smoke damage to the wide-open portion of the strip mall still under construction, he said total damage was likely less than $5,000.

“It’s still under investigation for the cause, but it does seem it came from something that was plugged in,” he said.

Ness said it was unclear what device had caught on fire. He said the Jimmy John’s restaurant wasn’t damaged and remained open Monday.