Fire at Flower Shop Shuts Down Ventura Blvd. Sunday Night

A fire burned Sunday night at Mark's Garden, a well-known flower shop located at 13838 Ventura Blvd. in Sherman Oaks. The blaze caused significant damange inside the shop and shut down Ventura Boulevard in the area for several hours.

The fire was reported at 8:38 p.m., according to Battalion Chief Peter Benesch of the Los Angeles Fire Department. 

"When the first units got here they had heavy smoke showing. The fire hadn't come through the roof yet but we did have a significant fire inside," Benesch said. "We did a coordinated attack and sent some companies to the roof. They did some ventilation for us and cut some holes."

No other businesses were damaged by the fire, according to Benesch.

At least 71 firefighters responded to the fire, and the flames were under control and confined to the area in 27 minutes, according to the LAFD.

The shop was closed at the time of the fire, which started in the back but burned all the way to the front, according to Benesch.

"We don't know what caused it yet. We're doing an investigation right now," Benesch said. "They had just done a wedding, so they had lots of things in their storage."

Mark's Garden has provided flowers for many Hollywood events, including the Academy Awards Governor's Ball, the Emmy's and the Golden Globes. The shop and it's co-owner, Mark Held, were featured in a profile on Sherman Oaks Patch in 2011. See the story here:

• Sherman Oaks Florist Creates The Sweet Smell Of Success For Oscar

According to its website, Mark's Garden has created the floral décor for many celebrity weddings including Nicole Richie & Joel Madden, Hilary Duff & Mike Comrie, and Ellen DeGeneres & Portia de Rossi. Its owners have also published a book on the art of entertaining entitled Fabulous Parties.