FALL RIVER - A fire has destroyed a longtime Fall River hardware store.

Fire officials said the fast-moving blaze at Flint Hardware caused the roof and much of the brick structure to collapse on Friday. The fire was fanned by strong winds and numerous flammable materials in the store.

Officials said a firefighter sustained a minor injury, a nearby building was damaged and area residents were temporarily evacuated.

Owner Manuel Botelho told The Herald News he'd been helping a customer when a passerby alerted him the building was on fire. He says he made it out safely with his two pet birds but his cat did not survive.

The storefront has been in operation since the 1930s. Botelho has owned it since the 1990s.

Fire officials are investigating the cause of the fire.

--Associated Press --

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