Racine commercial building fire; vacant structure damaged heavily
Racine vacant commercial building fire on Washington Avenue (Credit: Nalan Media)
RACINE, Wis. - Racine firefighters battled a fire in a large commercial building on Washington Avenue early Wednesday morning, Oct. 1.
Commercial building up in flames
What we know:
Firefighters were dispatched to the building fire around 3:40 a.m. Wednesday after a resident across the street called 911 having seen flames coming out of the front windows.
Racine vacant commercial building fire on Washington Avenue (Credit: Nalan Media)
Officials said the building has been vacant for several years. It has been flagged by the building department as being unsafe and in danger of collapsing.
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Fire crews arrived less than 3 minutes after the 911 call. After an initial investigation and assessment, the fire attack was switched from offensive to defensive. The fire was deemed under control by 5:34 a.m. However, crews continued to fight hot spots for several more hours.
The southern half of the roof was consumed by fire and the second floor sustained major fire and smoke damage. The first floor sustained minor smoke and moderate water damage.
Racine vacant commercial building fire on Washington Avenue (Credit: Nalan Media)
One firefighter was treated for a minor injury but did not require hospitalization.
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The cause of the fire is still under investigation. An intentionally set fire has not been ruled out.
Call with tips
What you can do:
Anyone with additional information on the cause of the fire is encouraged to contact Racine Crime Stoppers at 888-636-9330 or visit racine.crimestoppersweb.com.
The Source: Information in this post was provided by the Racine Fire Department.