April 01--Arson is believed to be the cause of the fire that broke out in a St. Cloud warehouse Saturday resulting in more than $1.6 million dollars in damage.
The fire began around 8:15 p.m. at 2645 Clearwater Road and it took 20 firefighters to put out the blaze.The building contained textbooks, stacked cardboard and some oil storage, according to St. Cloud Battalion Chief Jerry Raymond.
"We have no idea where the fire started and when we arrived there was fire coming out of two doors," Raymond said.
St. Cloud Fire Marshal Mike Post believes the fire is arson, according to a report from the St. Cloud Fire Department.
Crews started fighting the fire at an unburned spot near the loading dock area on the south side of the building, but progress was slow due to the amount of the materials in the warehouse.
"It's just a tough one to get into and get at," Raymond said.
Firefighters worked on the fire until 3:30 a.m. this morning. The building contents were a total loss.
Raymond said there were no reports of people inside the building. He said the west end of the building, believed to be used to store music equipment, was not affected by fire.
About eight onlookers from the apartment complex at 2639 Clearwater Road east of the building watched crews battle the fire.
"It happened quickly," resident Chris Grant said. "I went out to grab dinner at about five minutes to 8 (p.m.) and when I came back 20 minutes later all the firefighters were here."
John Honer, who owns Complete Auto Repair Service south of the warehouse, said the approximate size of the textbook area in the warehouse is 8,000 square feet, and it is used to store orders from Campus Book and Supply.
Copyright 2012 - St. Cloud Times, Minn.
