GROSSE POINTE PARK (WWJ) - Grosse Pointe Park firefighters are to keeping a destructive fire from spreading to neighboring businesses after it ripped through a building where it apparently ignited on Wednesday morning.
WWJ's Mike Campbell reported live from the scene on Lakepoint Street and Charlevoix where fire crews are still battling back the fire hours after it started around 1:15 a.m. at a private storage building.
"It's totally destroyed," Campbell said from the scene as fire crews could be heard dousing the building in water in a 6:30 a.m. update with WWJ's Jonathan Carlson.
"It's a private owner that has stuff stored inside. At one point it was a roofing business, I'm told," Campbell continued. "At this time, it's just been a personal place to store stuff, but it's right next to O'Flaherty's Bar and across an alleyway from Park Place Market."
Campbell said crews could not save the building, but are trying to contain the destructive blaze so it doesn't spread to the other businesses around it.
No injuries have been reported.
O’Flaherty’s owner Russell Gretkierwicz spoke with Campbell and said crews believed the bar would be spared fire damage.
"They did mention that the fire is still active and part of the building that they're not able to get to because of the roof on the neighboring building, but they're so confident that my building would be safe," he told Campbell.
Gretkierwicz joked that O’Flaherty’s would smell like the "old days" when smoking was allowed in bars, but he said this smoke is different.
The Grosse Pointe Park Fire sergeant said the fire is proving hard to fight as the roof to the private building "pancaked", meaning it fell on top of the fire inside so the fire is below the roof.
"They can't get to it because it's too unstable to go inside and fight it from inside," Campbell said.
Fire crews are using aerial ladders and dumping as much water on the building as possible, Campbell reported. Spray from their attempts has caused a sheet of ice over the road and most of the downtown area is closed off as crews work the scene.
At this time, the cause of the fire remains unknown.
This is a developing story. Stay tuned to WWJ LIVE for the latest updates.