The Chadron Volunteer Fire Department spent more than 6 hours last night battling a fire in a commercial building in the 300 block of Main Street.
The blaze was limited to the old Keith Spencer CPA office and was kept from spreading to adjacent buildings.
Fire Chief Branden Martens said at the scene that the fire was called in about 7:00 PM and produced a lot of smoke, but not much flame as it smoldered in decades of paper files from the CPA office, which has been closed for several years.
Chief Martens says he doesn’t remember Chadron firefighters ever using as much oxygen on a call as they did last night, with some individuals going through 6 or 7 bottles for their air packs.
Martens says the building received little structural damage from the fire, but he thinks it’s still likely a total loss.
The building was constructed in the late 1960s or early 1970s and included a garage being used for storage.
Chief Martens says the cause of the fire remains under investigation by the State Fire Marshal’s office. He hopes for an update later this morning.
Main Street was closed between 3rd and 4th Streets until about 2:00 AM by fire equipment and for public safety.
The temperature was below freezing most of the time firefighters were on the scene and Martens says water from the trucks and hoses made for icy and slippery conditions on the street.
The Chadron department did not put out a mutual aid call, but Chief Martens said about 1:00 AM he sort of wished he had because his firefighters were getting tired by that point.
ORIGINAL STORY
Crews from the Chadron Volunteer Fire Department have been at the scene of a structure fire in downtown Chadron since about 7:00 this evening.
No details are yet available, but crews have so far limited the blaze to the building where it began.
Main Street is closed between 3rd and 4th Streets by fire equipment and for public safety.