STOCKTON, Calif. — After a nearly two-hour long firefight, crews in Stockton have gotten a handle on a two-alarm fire that destroyed a shuttered warehouse in downtown Stockton Thursday.
Around 11:30 a.m. Thursday, flames erupted inside of a building, formerly an auto shop, near Hunter and Oak Streets in Stockton, officials with the Stockton Fire Department said.
First responders from across San Joaquin County raced to the building Thursday as it became engulfed in flames and sent off a large plume of thick black smoke.
"Upon arrival, (crews) had heavy smoke showing from what you can see is now mostly burnt up. They initially attempted an interior attack, did a quick search to make sure there weren't any victims inside then we pulled crews out," said Alex Steinheimer, a battalion chief with the Stockton Fire Department. "It's a good size warehouse and conditions were already well involved upon arrival."
Along with firefighters, witnesses also gathered around the structure watching as flames destroyed the building and as its roof collapsed, just two blocks away from Stockton's city hall.
"There's smoke, there's fire, it's hot. You don't want to be here because it can take your breath away, especially anyone whos asthmatic or has any breathing problems," said Pearl Knight as she watched the firefight unfold near her downtown apartment complex. "I heard all the sirens, and I looked out my window because I thought they were stopping at my apartment building because I stay in a senior building and I realized, 'Oh no, it's my friend's shop-- it used to be.'"
Knight was one of the dozens of people who paused their day and gathered on nearby street corners feet away from the active flames.
Stockton resident Will Smith who says he used to own an auto repair business inside of the building called 911 Thursday to report the blaze and also watched the firefight unfold.
"I was on the side of the building feeding my dog and I just noticed a commotion inside," Smith said. "I saw a flame and I saw smoke so I was like, 'Woah' so I tried to call 911 to get the fire department here and before I knew it, the fire just got away really quick."
According to Smith, since his business moved out, the building has been left vacant and was listed for sale. On multiple occasions, Smith says he has caught people breaking into the structure.
"At first, I thought it was going to be something small until I saw the flames and smoke start gathering pretty quickly," Smith said. "It's been gut-wrenching, it's heartbreaking. I've put a lot of work, heart and soul into this building."
Authorities say the cause of the fire is under investigation. No injuries were reported during the firefight which blocked some streets and slowed downtown traffic for multiple hours.
