Walnut Creek -- Fire officials suspect arson in the four-alarm blaze that sent smoke and flames billowing from an office complex near Highway 24 last night.
Workers in the seven-building complex were led out quickly as the fire engulfed a three-story building on Camino Diablo and spread to two other buildings, said Battalion Chief Clark Walker of the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District. No injuries were reported.
Walker said arson investigators are suspicious because the fire spread so rapidly. The building at 2950 Camino Diablo was most damaged, but the blaze also damaged buildings at 2960 and 2940 Camino Diablo.
The fire was reported at 5:30 p.m. and was controlled in about two hours, with 60 firefighters at the scene. Some firefighters planned to stay all night putting out hot spots.
"It was a very difficult fire to put out because the buildings are so close," Walker said.
The blaze started on the upper floors of the complex, which hold offices for lawyers, dentists, travel agents, therapists and other businesses.
The damage to the buildings is estimated to be more than half a million dollars.
Although the fire sent a haze of smoke over the nearby Interstate 680-Highway 4 interchange during commute hours, traffic was not affected, according to the California Highway Patrol.
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