May 30--A lightning strike and some cardboard are being credited as the cause of a massive Thursday night warehouse fire southwest of uptown Charlotte, officials said Friday.
More than 80 firefighters were called to the four-alarm fire in the 2300 block of Toomey Avenue after cardboard was ignited by a lightning strike, according to the Charlotte Fire Department.
Fire officials were still at the scene Friday morning and said that the building -- between South Tryon Street and Interstate 77, just north of Remount Road -- housed old machinery used by Carolina Foods.
There were large amounts of cardboard in the building, and officials said some of those materials were still smoking Friday morning.
Officials believe damage estimates are around $500,000.
Staff writer Cleve R. Wootson Jr. contributed.
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