By james art San Bernardino County fire crews responded to a fire at the historic Harris Building after it caught fire for the second time in the past few months.
Firefighters arrived at the scene to find flames coming from the roof of the former clapboard department store, located behind a gas station near 3rd Street and North E Street, according to a Facebook post Thursday from the department.
The historic building was home to the Harris Department Store, which opened in 1927. Philip and Herman Harris, two of three brothers involved in the business, opened the building to the public years earlier as a dry goods business.
Witnesses outside the building told firefighters there were people trapped inside. A woman was found in an elevator shaft in the basement of the building. She was asleep when the fire started, according to San Bernardino County Fire Department spokesman Eric Sherwin. She was escorted to safety without injury.
Damage to the building from a fire in July created obstacles for crew members, so they called in additional help. A total of 70 firefighters arrived on the scene and brought the blaze under control two hours after the initial crew arrived, according to the county fire agency.
The cause of the fire remains unknown, although it appears to be human-caused, according to Sherwin.
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