Just before 1:00 AM, Thursday, Sept. 14, firefighters and paramedics from the Mount Rainier area were alerted for a vacant building fire.

Units were dispatched to Bass’s Liquor Store at 3204 Rhode Island Avenue and encountered a 1-story, with basement, commercial structure with heavy fire in the basement with extension to the first floor.

The building has been vacated for some period of time and the interior is in varying states of demolition and/or renovation. While attack lines were being stretched into the structure a team of four firefighters came upon an area of demolition where a stairwell was not protected by walls or railings.

The four firefighters fell down the stairwell towards the basement, however, were able to gather themselves and continue extinguishment operations.

As a result of the fall down the stairwell, two firefighters sustained non-life threatening injuries and have been treated and released from an area hospital. A second alarm was sounded bringing nearly 50 firefighters and paramedics to the scene.

The bulk of the fire was knocked down in about 30 minutes. The cause of the fire is under investigation and estimated fire loss is not yet available.