A portion of El Camino Real that was closed due to a massive shopping mall fire on Christmas Day may reopen as early as Thursday, according to the Santa Clara County Fire Department.

The eastbound block of El Camino Real, from San Antonio Road to Sherwood Avenue, has been closed since Dec. 25, with a detour set up to divert traffic away from the charred building at 4600 W. El Camino Real.

But traffic might soon return to normal, as the city of Los Altos recently approved the partial demolition of the front of the building, closest to El Camino Real. The demolition is expected to occur on Wednesday, Jan. 10, with a portion of El Camino Real, and possibly the entire block, reopening on Thursday, Jan. 11, the press release said.

The demolition is occurring in stages to keep the site intact as much as possible for fire investigators. Because of the building's structural instability, officials have not yet been able to access the interior to determine the cause of the fire.

“The demolition process will be completed systematically to preserve the integrity of the site as much as possible as the investigative process continues,” the press release said.

The three-alarm fire, which occurred in the early morning on Dec. 25, displaced 11 tenants and completely gutted the shopping center.