Firefighters in St. Louis battled a 5-alarm fire in a downtown commercial building that engulfed the top two floors of the six-story building and damaged the other floors.
According to The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the abandoned building was part of the Crunden Martin Manufacturing Company and the fire started just around 11 a.m. with a report of an explosion.
The neighborhood around the old brick building was evacuated and cordoned off as firefighters mounted an exterior attack on the blaze using several aerials to battle the blaze.
News reports stated more than 100 firefighters were on the scene from three different departments, including a Hazmat team.
The building is part of a complex of industrial buildings within sight of St. Louis Arch and that was built in the early 20th century, according to a web site called buildstlouis.net, a site dedicated to study and preservation of the city’s historic architecture. The site says a variety of metal goods were made in the building over the years before the company filed for Chapter 11 in 1990.
The Post-Dispatch reported the fire was under control about an hour after it was reported and homeless people were seen fleeing the building as the fire started.
No injuries were reported and no cause has been determined.
