Big store destroyed: 'You can see the twisted metal'
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BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — Flames ripped through an east Bakersfield furniture store Tuesday, decimating the building and its stock, city firefighters said.
As of Tuesday afternoon, fire crews set damage at $3 million and searched for clues on what started the blaze.
The fire erupted around 5 a.m. at Home Décor Furniture on Union Avenue near Highway 178. Dozens of firefighters needed seven engines and more than an hour to bring the three-alarm blaze under control.
Flames burned so hot that the integrity of the 40,000-square-foot metal structure was compromised.
"With the open spaces, (the fire) spread so quickly," Battalion Chief Ross Kelly told Eyewitness News. "It's a metal-framed, aluminum-sided building, and we had some areas that were starting to come in, and it was becoming a danger for the firefighters, so we removed them to exterior positions."
That forced firefighters to pull out and attack with water cannons from the outside, the fire department said.
No one was injured in the fire,
The fire was out by 6:30 a.m. But, by mid-morning smoke was still rising out of the hot debris, and some burning spots could be seen.
The badly damaged steel structure was also evident, especially around the back.
"You can see the twisted metal from it being weakened, failing," Kelly said. "There are several areas where it's collapsed back there."
Kelly said that will happen when temperatures reach 1,000 degrees, and the fire could have gotten that hot because there was so much material to burn in the open spaces of the big store.
Fire crews say the store included the furniture showroom, plus two storage areas. "The building received heavy damage, and the contents appear to be a total loss," Kelly said.
Tuesday afternoon a family approached a reporter to ask about the big fire. They said they had bought furniture there on Sunday and hadn't picked it up yet.
The store does have a second location in Bakersfield, on Chester Avenue. Eyewitness News left messages at that store, but those were not returned yet.
By the afternoon, various utility crews had come to the property to turn off electricity, gas, phone and water service. Another crew was putting up a fence around the large, burned-out building.
Kelly said that would protect anyone from getting inside the building, and allow investigators to keep working to figure out how the fire started and where.
"They don't have any specific points yet," Kelly said. "They have areas where they're looking. And with the sheer size of the building, it's going to be quite a big job for them to dig it out."
Kelly said fire crews would be positioned at the building through Wednesday to watch for hot spots.
As of Tuesday afternoon, fire crews set damage at $3 million and searched for clues on what started the blaze.
The fire erupted around 5 a.m. at Home Décor Furniture on Union Avenue near Highway 178. Dozens of firefighters needed seven engines and more than an hour to bring the three-alarm blaze under control.
Flames burned so hot that the integrity of the 40,000-square-foot metal structure was compromised.
"With the open spaces, (the fire) spread so quickly," Battalion Chief Ross Kelly told Eyewitness News. "It's a metal-framed, aluminum-sided building, and we had some areas that were starting to come in, and it was becoming a danger for the firefighters, so we removed them to exterior positions."
That forced firefighters to pull out and attack with water cannons from the outside, the fire department said.
No one was injured in the fire,
The fire was out by 6:30 a.m. But, by mid-morning smoke was still rising out of the hot debris, and some burning spots could be seen.
The badly damaged steel structure was also evident, especially around the back.
"You can see the twisted metal from it being weakened, failing," Kelly said. "There are several areas where it's collapsed back there."
Kelly said that will happen when temperatures reach 1,000 degrees, and the fire could have gotten that hot because there was so much material to burn in the open spaces of the big store.
Fire crews say the store included the furniture showroom, plus two storage areas. "The building received heavy damage, and the contents appear to be a total loss," Kelly said.
Tuesday afternoon a family approached a reporter to ask about the big fire. They said they had bought furniture there on Sunday and hadn't picked it up yet.
The store does have a second location in Bakersfield, on Chester Avenue. Eyewitness News left messages at that store, but those were not returned yet.
By the afternoon, various utility crews had come to the property to turn off electricity, gas, phone and water service. Another crew was putting up a fence around the large, burned-out building.
Kelly said that would protect anyone from getting inside the building, and allow investigators to keep working to figure out how the fire started and where.
"They don't have any specific points yet," Kelly said. "They have areas where they're looking. And with the sheer size of the building, it's going to be quite a big job for them to dig it out."
Kelly said fire crews would be positioned at the building through Wednesday to watch for hot spots.
