Lake Chabot Public Market in Castro Valley destroyed after nighttime fire

A massive fire gutted the Lake Chabot Public Market building in Castro Valley early Thursday morning.

The building at Lake Chabot Road and Quail Avenue, which houses a meat market, cafes and several restaurants in a food court, experienced fire from the roof during the incident that began around 2:30 a.m.

The fire reached three alarms before firefighters were able to put it down. The fire caused the roof of the establishment to collapse, Alameda County firefighters said.

Hans Cho, who owns the Lac Chabot Public Market with his family, said next year would have been the 10th anniversary of the public market.

“I got a call this morning at 5 a.m. from my neighbor, asking me if I had heard the news. I said, 'What news?' And he said, 'Your market is on fire.' ” Cho told CBS News Bay Area.

“From day one, we've always wanted to be rooted in the community and give back. So when I think about it, it becomes a lot harder to swallow (and) process. Obviously, a lot of thoughts are going through my mind. mind in terms of next steps,” Cho continued.

Suki Lin, the owner of Poke Go, said she has been at the Lake Chabot Public Market for nine months. After a slow start to the year, she was hoping for a potential increase in her activity in the coming days.

“Today would have been good. Today is nice and hot. The market would have been busy. But no. It's a busy day, but not busy because we are working indoors,” Lin said . “I'm so upset. I don't know what to do. It's my business.”

Lin, who owns another Poke Go store in Lafayette, said she moved to the Public Market nine months ago because the location would allow her to be closer to her family. She lives three minutes away by car.

“A lot of my customers ask me if I sell Dole Whip,” she said. “So last night I got a sign and I printed it out and I said “Dole Whip is Back.” I was going to bring it in this morning and put the sign up…I'm really sorry for Hans, their family, I'm really sorry for all the sellers, I see everyone in the morning, I talk to everyone. is so upset, so sad.”

The destruction strikes at the heartstrings of many in the Castro Valley community, including the first responders who put out the fire.

“We grew up with family here in the Castro Valley, so we are very close friends,” said Justin Hoglund, battalion chief with the Alameda County Fire Department. “Mama Cho's. All the firefighters eat here. All the police officers eat here. It's a pillar of the community, so it's really sad.”

Carmel Ledyard, who lives near the public market, said she hopes the Chos will be able to rebuild or come back in some way.

“It's a personal loss for all of us. It really is,” she said. “It's really, really sad for the owners, the people (and) all of us. We really feel it.”

No other buildings in the area are at risk, firefighters said.

There was no immediate information on the cause of the fire. No injuries were reported.

Fire crews from the city of Alameda and Hayward also battled the fire, which is believed to have started in the kitchen of one of the building's food vendors.

The Alameda County Fire Department said more than 50 firefighters responded to the blaze. The ministry initially reported that officials at Chabot Elementary School had set up shelters for children and staff until all hot spots were cleared. Later Thursday morning, school officials decided to cancel classes due to road closures in the area.

Crews will rotate day and night to ensure all hot spots are deactivated.

Kevin Ko contributed to this report.