JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) -- A major fire that may have started from a roof-tarring job Sunday burned a 103-year-old building containing at least three businesses in downtown Juneau.
KTOO Radio reported that the fire was called in as a small blaze but spread quickly in a building occupied on the first floor by a Subway sandwich shop and a Chinese restaurant. Other businesses, including a travel firm, were on the second floor.
The building on the southeast corner of Front and Seward streets is a block from the waterfront and three blocks south of the Capitol. Front Street was the original waterfront of Juneau. Mine tailings were used as fill to create another city block.
Downtown Juneau is crowded with tightly packed wood buildings, many of them more than 50 years old, and firefighters rushed in to keep flames from spreading.
Witnesses said the fire created yellow-brown smoke that enveloped much of the central downtown and made it hard to see and breathe.
The entire Capital City Fire and Rescue corps was on the scene dowsing roofs of nearby buildings, including a Ben Franklin store separated from the damaged building by an alley. Firefighters cordoned off streets at least a block in each direction.
The fire was called in at 3 p.m., said City Manager Rod Swope.
Firefighters were pulled out of the buildings at about 4:30 p.m. because of the amount of smoke generated by the fire.
There had been no injuries, Swope said, and firefighting operations were in a defensive mode.
As of 8 p.m., flames were still visible and firefighters continued to pour water onto the building.
``I would say this is going to be an all-night affair,'' said Martin Beckner, acting fire chief.
Wade Bryson, owner of the Subway restaurant, said the fire began during a small roof-tarring repair job. The roof of the building caved in, he said, and his business was lost.
``This is just a 100-year-old tinderbox,'' he said.
Beckner would not confirm the cause and said several possibilities had been mentioned.
Beckner said layers of roofing and void spaces caused the fire to spread quickly. He said the old building had been expanded several times.
``New fire codes are designed because of instances like this,'' he said.
Antonio Dusi, a tourist from Italy, said the fire fighting was keeping him from reaching his room at the Alaskan Hotel a block away on Franklin Street. He had a ferry ticket for Haines for Monday. Police told him to walk around for a while.
``At least I would like to collect the luggage, if not sleep,'' he said.
The temperature in Juneau on Sunday reached 78 degrees and skies already were hazy from forest fires in British Columbia.
