A blaze that started Saturday morning in an old, abandoned schoolhouse in Central Austin is under control, Austin Fire Department Division Chief Palmer Buck said.
Crews were alerted to the fire in the 700 block of 41st Street just before 8 a.m. Saturday as heavy smoke flooded the area, Buck said.
When crews responded, they found the blaze confined to the attic. Buck said they had a hard time navigating the 8,000-square-foot building so they raised the call to a 2-alarm fire. Sixty firefighters and 14 fire trucks responded, Buck said.
The fire is under control, and no one was injured, fire officials said.
Damages are estimated at $70,000, fire officials said.
Investigators are still working to determine what caused the blaze.
The building, which was built in the late 1940s, was scheduled for demolition next month and Saturday’s fire “(expedited) that process,” Buck said.
Crews are still mopping up hotspots and expect to be there the remainder of the day, Buck said. Officials estimate that 41st Street between Red River and Peck streets will remain closed another two hours.
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