This was hard to believe when I saw the breaking news about it last night. When I was growing up, my family lived in Moore, and I didn't leave Moore until 1981, when I moved to OKC. I remember dad going over to Poppa Johns pizza in that shopping center and buying two large pizzas every Thursday evening, and then going home and watch "The Walton's" while we ate pizza.

I can't imagine that place burning down. I know it had to be a tough fire since they called in all their firefighters that were off duty, and also had to call for assistance from the Norman Fire Dept. I don't think Moore has had this big of a fire ever. If they have, I don't remember it.






Four stores destroyed in shopping mall fire

By Chad Previch
The Oklahoman

MOORE - A fire in a strip shopping mall Sunday night caused heavy damage and kept firefighters busy controlling the blaze for several hours.
NEWS 9 video

Four stores were destroyed and several others damaged at The Malibu Shopping Center, 860 NW 12, after the fire started about 7:35 p.m., Deputy Fire Chief Gary Bird said.

A pizza restaurant, a convenience store and a used furniture store were among the shops destroyed, he said.

One firefighter suffered smoke inhalation but was not hospitalized.

About 75 firefighters responded to the call from Moore and Norman.

The owner of a barber shop, Larry Morrison, said he lost the shop he had been in since 1970.

"You just kind of see your business and livelihood going down the drain. What can you do?" Morrison said.

The cause was still under investigation late Sunday

I passed the shopping center yesterday, and it was really destroyed.

I just wonder why the fire department did not suspect anything. The station is only a block or two away. They should have seen the smoke and called a still alarm, then called for a commercial alarm.

It may have saved a lot of damage. Either that or the fire flashed over very fast. Suspicious to me.

Makes me wonder how the businesses financial standing was.

Something built that long ago probably didn't have modern amenities like a permenantly wired and monitored smoke alarm.

Not a huge surprise. And passers-by would probably assume the place had one and not dialed 911.

I'd suspect circumstances and equipment before I would suspect someone of arson. Leave that to the arson investigation unit as I'm sure they'll be checking this one out.