Investigators are searching for the cause of a fire that destroyed a row of stores in Mount Vernon on Sunday.

The fire broke out around 8:30 a.m. at the Golden Gate Chinese restaurant on West Sandford Boulevard.

Officials say flames began shooting through the roof of the restaurant, and spread to a fish market and deli. The fire also began to spread to nearby homes, and people were forced out.

Investigators who were sifting through debris told News 12 that the fire does not appear to have been intentional.

Errol Holmes, owner of the West Best Fish Market, says not only was his 13-year-old business destroyed, but that thieves broke in overnight and stole about $300. "I don't know if they came in through the roof or through the back, but the cash register is ripped apart," says Holmes.