St. Louis Warehouse Fire Continues to Burn With Hazardous Smoke

ST. LOUIS, MO — Almost 100 firefighters from across St. Louis City and County have been battling a massive five-alarm warehouse fire since yesterday morning. The fire started in the basement of a storage building belonging to Park Warehouse Service, near Cardinal Glennon Hospital in downtown St. Louis around 10 a.m. One worker was taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation.

Fire officials believe more than 150,000 citronella candles stored in the building may be adding fuel to the fire. Various areas businesses, including a small book publisher, lease the space. The one-story warehouse measures a block by a block-and-a-half.

A horn sounded an evacuation order as firefighters were driven back by the flames around 11:30 Wednesday morning. Shortly after, a wall collapsed around onto an unoccupied fire truck. St. Louis Fire Capt. Garon Mosby said the fire was very intense and that the structure's collapse was inevitable. Two firefighters suffered burns and smoke inhalation, he said, but the injuries were not considered life-threatening.

Deputy Director of the Missouri Department of Public Safety Gregg Favre said on Twitter this morning, "When normally brash guys quietly say, 'Today was the scariest moment of my career' or 'I felt bricks hitting my heels,' they aren't bragging. I don't think most people realize how close we came to a major tragedy today."

Firefighters worked to ensure the fire did not spread to neighboring homes and businesses as flames and black smoke continued to billow into the sky through the night. Yesterday afternoon, officials began to warn that the smoke may be hazardous, and urged citizens to stay to the west and north of the building, or to avoid the area entirely. Nearby hospitals were told to shut off their heating and cooling systems.

Firefighters from across the county were called to help with the five-alarm blaze. University City Fire Chief Adam Long said his department had sent a truck to help, and that his firefighters had worked through the night.

The cause of the fire is still unknown. Warehouse workers reported an electrical smell or the scent of burning rubber shortly before the fire started.

This story is developing. Check back for updates.

Watch: Crews Battle Raging Fire At St. Louis Warehouse

3900blk of Park - 5 Alarm Warehouse #Fire (Update - 3) https://t.co/7lyyEYMowr
— St. Louis Fire Dept (@STLFireDept) November 15, 2017

Image via Associated Press