An early-morning fire at Sherman Oaks Plaza, 15030 Ventura Blvd., did substantial damage to at least seven businesses in the strip mall, including Tochal Market and Deli, Sherman Oaks Beauty Supply, Smart for Life Cookie Diet, and Got Muscle? Nutrition. 

The fire was first reported to the Los Angeles Fire Dept. at 7:42 a.m. Firefighters declared it a "major emergency fire" and spent nearly three-quarters of an hour putting it out. At the fire's peak, 130 LAFD firefighters were on scene.

Ryan Blekier, 23, of Sherman Oaks said he was sipping on his first cup of coffee in the rain outside the adjoining Starbucks when he saw heavy smoke coming from lighting fixtures outside the stores. When he came over to get a closer look, he said, he saw flames in the corner of the ceiling of the beauty supply store. As he headed back to Starbucks to have someone call for help, he said he saw smoke coming through the roof of the building.

A few hours later, several people, presumably owners or managers of the businesses in the strip mall, congregated outside their stores with colleagues and family members. They appeared visibly shaken as they tried to assess the damage to their stores and inventory, and tried to determine how best to continue.

One, who declined to give his name, said his store, Sherman Oaks Beauty Center, was a total loss.

Others did not want to talk to a reporter.

There were no injuries reported from the fire.

The cause of the fire was still under investigation, LAFD said.