Fire Consumes Warehouse Near Jacksonville

Update:
Jacksonville Warehouse Space Burns
The thick black smoke against a backdrop of blue sky was seen for miles Wednesday morning as firefighters fought an intense blaze consuming 80,000 square feet of warehouse space. Jacksonville Fire Chief Paul White said the series of buildings, a former furniture manufacturer in the 900 block of Jackson Street, was empty when the fire began shortly after 10 a.m.

“There are no utilities to the building or premises, so yes, this fire is suspicious in nature,” he said, standing in front of the blaze Wednesday. As bystanders watched, paint cans exploded.

One portion of the building remained standing as the middle collapsed into a twisted heap of burning materials.

White said he and other firefighters were en route to an accident on U.S. Highway 69 when they passed the warehouse and saw smoke.

“We were the ones who called it in and needless to say we didn’t make it to the accident. We sent another truck to take care of that,” he said.

White said when they arrived on scene the fire was heavily involved and spreading quickly.

“We were able to get a stop on it up here at this building and we are basically just putting water on the rest of it to keep it from flaring up and spreading,” he said.

White said firefighters from multiple departments arrived to assist in fighting the fire.

“We needed the help, as this is the largest fire I’ve seen here in Jacksonville. We had some early problems with water pressure, but we put down our five- inch lines and told the water department to bump up the pressure. After that, we had plenty of water to fight the fire,” he said.

Sammy Grimes, of Grimes Waterworks, said his company owned the warehouses and the 10 acres where the buildings are located. He said they are insured.

Grimes said his company bought the location in hopes of housing the company’s offices and warehouse facilities, but had not begun preparation work.

“We have been checking on the building from time to time and have found evidence that groups of people have been using the location as a party place,” he said.

Grimes said he believed the building was a complete loss, but was unsure of the market value.

“I would say it is probably several hundred thousand dollars we have lost today. We will just have to wait and see what can be salvaged or if it all needs to be knocked down,” he said.

White said the cause of the blaze had not been determined and, due to the size of the location, an investigation could take several days.

White thanked all the departments that responded Wednesday.

“Something this size definitely strips our resources down and we have used every department around that can help. They have really helped a lot,” he said.
By Kenneth Dean in The Tyler Morning Telegraph
Photos from The Tyler Morning Telegraph
__________
Firefighters from multiple departments are on the scene of a large structure fire in north Jacksonville, where at least 80,000 square feet of warehouse has burned or is burning. A thick plume of black smoke is drifting over the area as firefighters continue to battle the blaze.

Officials have yet to discuss what may have caused the fire at the 100,000-square-foot Grimes Waterworks building, but owner Sammy Grimes said the building has been vacant and the company was in the process of making some renovations and getting ready to house some offices and warehouse areas for their company, which manages water utility companies.

The building is located in the 900 block of North Jackson (Highway 69), next to the support building for Jacksonville ISD, and across from the Neon Country night club.

Grimes said there have been problems in the past with vandalism and unauthorized use, and he and his staff have found evidence the building has been used as a party place by a group of individuals. He said multiple repairs have been made to a perimeter fence to try to stop break-ins, but evidence has been found of fires being started inside the building. Grimes said a fire was something he was afraid might occur.

It is unknown what the damage will be in terms of dollar value of property lost, but 80 percent of the structure is either burning or already has burned to the ground. No injuries were reported.

Jacksonville Fire Chief Paul White said he and his crew had been dispatched to the scene of a major accident when they passed by and spotted the blaze. They called in the blaze to dispatch at 10:05 a.m., stopped to fight the blaze, and had other crews dispatched to the accident.
By Kenneth Dean in The Tyler Morning Telegraph
Photo gallery from The Tyler Morning Telegraph
Report from KLTV News, Tyler Jacksonville
Report from The Jacksonville Progress