Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : Accidental Fire Guts Family Operated Store : Emergency: Electrical fixtures are blamed. An investigation continues. Damages are estimated at $500,000.

SANTA CLARITA — A family run liquor and convenience store in one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods was gutted by an accidental fire Tuesday morning, possibly caused by electrical circuits in the back of the store.

The fire occurred about 6:30 a.m. at Placerita Liquor Store at 24358 San Fernando Road, said Deputy Renee Dibb of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station. No one was in the closed store at the time.

Damage was estimated at $100,000 to the 50-year-old building and $400,000 to merchandise, with the large amount of liquor inside accounting for much of the total, Dibb said.

“I’d say all of the contents are damaged due to smoke and other factors,” she added.

Rick Asker said he arrived to open the store, owned for the past 13 years by his uncle, Ned, while firefighters were trying to control the flames. He said there was little to do afterward but sort through the wreckage and wait for his uncle to return from a vacation in Las Vegas.

“It’s worse than getting fired,” he said.

About two dozen firefighters forced their way into the front and back of the store to get to the fire and cut a hole in the roof to provide ventilation, Dibb said. Buildings surrounding the store were not threatened.

One firefighter suffering from heat exhaustion was taken to Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital in Valencia where he was treated and released, said Inspector Mark Savage of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

The fire is officially considered an accident, although its cause remains under investigation, authorities said. However, officials and family members said electrical fixtures at the rear of the store were the most likely cause of the blaze.

The store was one of two convenience outlets available to residents of the east Newhall neighborhood, which has no grocery stores nearby, said Hector Gorellio, a resident there for the past 30 years. He described the business as an old-fashioned family operation that was a favorite hangout among those living nearby.

The Asker family has eight brothers and a sister who own 32 independent convenience stores in Southern California. Sam Asker said he is certain his brother Ned will rebuild and reopen the damaged Newhall store.

“The community loves my brother, and I’m sure as soon as he opens his doors they’ll be right back,” he said.