MEMPHIS, Tenn. — An electrical problem sparked a Saturday evening fire that did roughly $750,000 worth of damage to the structure of a vacant commercial building in downtown Memphis, fire officials said. Nobody was hurt.
Memphis Fire Department crews were sent to the building on South 2nd Street at 5:46 p.m. More than a dozen engines rolled up, and parts of South 2nd and Madison Avenue were closed while firefighters fought the flames.
Fire investigators later ruled the blaze accidental and traced it to an electrical issue. No firefighters or civilians were injured.
The building at 18 South 2nd Street is an empty industrial property that has been on the market. The company that holds title to it, according to local tax records, is Allied Group Realty LLC.
The call drew a large response to one of the busiest corners of the city center on a weekend evening as crews worked the blaze with the nearby streets closed.
Firefighters were able to bring the fire under control without anyone being hurt, and the department’s investigators spent the rest of the evening working to pin down how it started.
Madison Avenue and South 2nd Street sit in the heart of the downtown core, where older commercial buildings stand shoulder to shoulder with newer shops and restaurants.
The fire came during a busy night for small businesses on the block. A restaurant two doors away that opened on Nov. 1 had to deal with the commotion. Nearby businesses were back open on Sunday.
Section: More Memphis TN crime news
Filed under: Memphis TN Public Safety News
