By Manny Otiko, IVN

Carousel Mall in San Bernardino was the site of yet another fire. The fire was reported at around 10 a.m. on Sunday. 

“San Bernardino County Fire crews were dispatched to a reported commercial fire at the Carousel Mall, San Bernardino. 911 callers stated smoke from the vacant mall,” according to a press release from the San Bernardino County Fire Department. 

The mall has been abandoned for five years and has become the scene of several crimes. News reports said that the mall has been occupied by squatters who have turned former businesses into living quarters. Many squatters also start fires to heat food or for warmth.  

The San Bernardino City Council voted to demolish the mall and awarded a contract for the redevelopment project to Lincoln Property Company, a nationwide real estate firm. 

The demolition contract will be announced in October. 

Inland Valley News coverage of local news in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties is supported by the Ethnic Media Sustainability Initiative, a program created by California Black Media and Ethnic Media Services to support minority-owned-and-operated community newspapers across California.