Overnight fire burns building near St. Paul Downtown Airport
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- A commercial building for a demolition company caught fire near the St. Paul Downtown Airport overnight.
WCCO's Pauleen Le reports crews left the scene around 5 a.m. The building burned to the ground.
Multiple crews packed Ridder Circle to fight the fire for about five hours early Wednesday morning. According to the St. Paul Fire Department, the fire had already burned through the roof when crews arrived.
The fire started at Semple Companies, between the St. Paul Downtown Airport and the Mississippi River.
Nearby railroad tracks were shut down due to the fire.
The department said the building owner assisted by using heavy equipment to pull burning materials from the building. It allowed firefighters to have a clear shot at the flames, and the department says it was a fantastic example of teamwork.
Crews had to put down nearly a quarter mile of line to reach the closest fire hydrant. They also had to request a 2,000-gallon tanker filled with extra water from Maplewood, saying the location of the fire presented a challenge for firefighters.
In addition to battling the blaze, firefighters had to contend with cold and wind. Over the course of five hours, 50 firefighters assisted with putting out the fire, according to St. Paul Fire Department Chief Roy Mokosso.
"It's a credit to our training division, and it's great to see it pay off, especially the mutual aid support," he said. "We talk about utilizing it all the time, infrequently do. Just seeing that utilized today and those communication channels going, it's great to see."
No injuries were reported, and the fire is being investigated.
