Fire department says too early to determine cause
An abandoned building in downtown Niagara Falls, not far from city hall, caught fire earlier today.
Fire chief Jo Zambito tells us they got the call around 11am, arriving at the Hotel Europa on Erie Avenue.
He says they did not go inside, but blasted the fire from outside. "Because it's been boarded up for such a long time, the integrity of the structure inside is unknown. It could pose a threat or hazard to our fire fighters going in. So, that was the decision made at the beginning from the incident commander, that it was going to be a defensive attack."
He says there wasn't anyone inside, there's no damage estimate yet, or cause.
"Upon our arrival, we had smoke coming from the second and third floor, the windows are all boarded up and the doors."
The Chief acknowledges another nearby abandoned building caught fire recently, but he's asking for people not to draw conclusions until an investigation is done.
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