5-Alarm Fire Destroys Downtown Warehouse
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – Over 100 firefighters from across Sacramento battled a five-alarm fire at a downtown warehouse on Monday.
The fire started just before 2 a.m. at the building on Richards Boulevard between 10th and Dos Rios Streets and spread to nearby Party Concierge. Flames could be seen from miles away as they tore through the roof of the building.
Crews say there were explosions inside building, and something stored inside was possibly causing the fire to spread. As a result, firefighters had to battle the blaze from the outside.
"I saw it when I was coming over the bridge. And I thought it was just a cloud," said one woman. "I came around the corner and everything was blowing up."
Lawrence Crane, owner of Party Concierge, said the building was dangerous.
"We always knew the building next to us was kind of a risk," said Crane. "That's why when we saw the flames we knew it was this building because they didn't take care of it."
Over the last 19 years, businesses at the warehouse have come and gone, but things in the warehouse have stayed, said Crane.
"Lots of remnants, office supplies; there's vehicles in there, chemical shelving, clothing. They just left in the middle of the night and left the stuff," he said.
Crane said of one-of-a-kind creations were destroyed in the blaze.
"There are irreplaceable props and design work. We've had some fabulous artists and designers work for us through the years. You just can't replace it. It's like artwork."
"I look in there and I'm not even gonna cry," his wife Susan said. "I don't want to go there, not going to start. You're never prepared for this."
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
One firefighter was taken to the hospital to be treated for heat exhaustion.
