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This is WNY News Now with live breaking news
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And we start with live breaking news. I'm Justin Gould. Firefighters are battling flames at a former Jamestown factory previously deemed on the verge of a catastrophic collapse
0:16
Flames broke out just before 1130. Today, the Jamestown Fire Department was dispatched to 1061 Allen Street
0:24
When crews arrived there, they reported the structure was fully engulfed. Here's a live look at the scene now. Additionally, crews were called from nearby Falkiner Fire Department to assist
0:36
Bronson Rasmussen is live at the scene. Bronson, what's the latest there
0:42
Obviously, it looks like right now firefighters are dealing with a lot. That's right, Justin. Crews are showing up by the minute right now
0:54
Just in the last few minutes I saw Celeron show up. Stations from all across the county have been called to this massive blaze that is occurring here
1:03
When I was talking to some of the people that were just watching this, they know the area and they are surprised if this hasn't happened sooner
1:13
This dilapidated building that's been on the verge of collapse for what seems like forever now
1:19
Yeah, Bronson, and I know that I was looking at some information that we had earlier from previous reporting
1:31
just a few months ago back, it looks like in February, the DOD actually released a warning to anybody who was in this industrial area along Allen Street that this building is not safe, is not safe to enter
1:48
And that was one of the first things that came over the fire scanner this morning when crews were dispatched to this scene is the fact that do not go in the building because it's not safe
1:59
It was posted so no one should have entered the building here at the scene of this Allen Street
2:06
It's 1061 Allen Street. It's been a problem property for the Department of Development and see officials for really years as the structure has decreased
2:18
increased at a rapid rate. Officials were working with I believe a firm to try to hold the property owners accountable This is reporting back from February of 22 this year that we had
2:33
And before something like this were to happen, the goal was to bring it down. But obviously now, as you can see, the full building fully engulfed by flames
2:41
And just in recent memory, we think of that Crescent Street factory
2:46
That was arson. Not saying this is. We don't know the cause, obviously, very preliminary
2:51
As you see there, some of the structure now just falling apart, the bricks falling to Allen Street
2:57
And within itself there, as an outside wall completely collapses. Not now
3:05
What would, I believe, to be the western side of the building here along Allen Street
3:12
Now, Bronson, I'm not sure if you can still hear me or not, but I know I didn't see the mayor there
3:17
I'm not sure if you were able to talk to him for an update. as of this point I imagine much of the area probably closed to street traffic along Allen Street
3:26
as crews worked this. Do we know preliminarily if anybody was inside at this point or is this all still too new to report
3:39
Well Justin I have spoken to the mayor not on camera yet but from what he had told me crews that are here did not see anyone upon arrival
3:50
and really there was nobody in the area, but as I've been here, a lot of people have gathered
3:58
to just see this blaze. Now, the street when I was coming up was blocked off
4:04
They had it blocked off pretty far back, almost to where Buffalo and Allen Street meets
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I don't know about the other side, but I do not see any traffic over there
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so they probably have that blocked off at Allen and Tiffany there, Justin. Yeah, I can give you the official word here
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from the city's new alert system that they just launched. They're asking people to pretty much avoid all of Allen Street between Buffalo and Tiffany
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due to this ongoing structure fire as that road is closed. And of course, a discolored water possible, according to the BPU in the area
4:35
As crews are tapping into nearby hydrants near where this took place
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But nevertheless, at least some good news there to report in the sense that it doesn't appear
4:44
that anybody was inside when Cruz first arrived unseen. Now I know when they did arrive there to this Allen Street address a little before 1130 this morning So about a half an hour ago the call was from the first chief unseen that the building was fully engulfed
5:03
And now 30 minutes later, you already see that progression now of this structure as it is now deteriorated so much so that it looks like I'm counting at least four floors within
5:18
the main aspect of the structure, it's pretty much taken out that four-third and second floor
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as we see firefighters are now on that exterior attack, pretty much just putting as much
5:29
as much as much as much as much water as possible onto this. Well, Justin, if I can make a comment, I remember directly from James Town Fire Chief Matthew
5:42
Coon that a fire doubles in size about every seven to 12 seconds
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So in the short amount of time from then to now, this fire really has grown
5:53
And as you can see here, pieces of the building are continuing to fall onto the street
5:59
Yeah, absolutely. And it's definitely going to be a story, of course, that we're going to continue to follow all day long here on WNY News now
6:08
It looks like the mayor may be here now to provide an update. Bronson, I'll let you go ahead and talk to him if he does have additional information for us
6:18
All right, Justin, that sounds good to me. All right, understood. Here we are with Mayor Eddie Sunquist at the scene of this fire
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What all do you know about the start of this blaze? Yeah, so we're unsure about how this started at this point
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We'll have investigators that will go in after the fire starts to die down
6:41
You know, unfortunately, this site has been an issue that we have raised for not only the council
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but for the public for quite some time. It's a site where we brought in not only the New York State's Department of Environmental Conservation
6:52
but the Federal Environmental Protection Agency has been a part of this. There's a lot of contaminants on this former Crawford site, and they have not been remediated
7:01
So we've had the owner in court several times. This is truly, truly a difficult thing to see this building go up in blaze when we have active manufacturing companies right next to it
7:12
And there was nobody on site nobody in the building when Cruz first arrived I unsure of that at this point Right now all of our crews are fully focused on trying to fight this fire Once we have more information we happily give it to you all But right now
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we're just trying to protect the rest of the structure, which is already starting to fall into
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the street. We've called in additional resources. I just got off the phone with the governor's
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office, and so we're asking for additional support, especially this involves the cleanup of
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the site once the fire finally dies down. All right. Thank you. This is Mayor Eddy Sunquist with us. Justin, back to you
7:50
All right. Bronson, Mayor Sunquist, thank you both very much. If you're just joining us
7:54
here's the absolute latest that we know for you this half hour. At about 1130 this morning
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Jamestown Firecrues began to battle this blaze at a former Jamestown factory that was
8:08
previously deemed earlier this year at a catastrophic at the risk of a catastrophic collapse
8:14
We saw within just the last 10 minutes of our broadcast that indeed has occurred now due to fire
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Just before 1130 this morning, the Jamestown Fire Department was dispatched to 1061 Allen Street
8:27
When crews arrived there, they reported the structure to be fully engulfed by flames, as the mayor just told our Bronson Rasmussen
8:34
and they're still trying to figure out if anybody was possibly inside at the time
8:40
However, preliminarily it doesn't appear so. Immediately, Cruz called for additional aid from the nearby Falconer Fire Department
8:48
to assist in battling this massive blades. And as you can see, really, the entire aspect of this former factory here on Allen Street
8:58
is now engulfed by flames with the upper floors just moments ago
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as you saw collapsing. I'm sure if you're within the Jamestown area
9:06
and you look out your window, you can probably see what Brons is documenting. Now that plume of black smoke
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that's really carried across much of the city as the exterior fight from firefighters now
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simply to try to preserve some of these other factories that sit around where the site 1061 sits
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to try to prevent the fire from spreading earlier. Some of that heat be caught grass across
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the street on fire. So we're going to, of course, continue to follow this and bring you
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updates, of course, online and on air at WMINewsNow.com
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