The first 3-alarm fire broke out at a vacant Schwegmann’s store in the Bywater.According to the New Orleans Fire Department, fire crews got the call about 10:11 p.m last night at the intersection of Piety Street and Burgundy Street. When the first firefighters arrived they found the abandoned two-story building engulfed in flames and spreading to neighboring homes. Fire crews quickly called in a 2nd and 3rd alarm. The NOFD says the building has been vacant since 2005 and had no working utilities. There were no injuries reported and the cause of the fire is currently under investigation.
The second fire happened at a strip mall at about 2:45 a.m. at 4100 Washington Avenue. According to the NOFD the first fire company arrived to find a two-story strip mall consisting of eight businesses, fully engulfed in fire.The building owner said that only one of the businesses, a convenient store, was still in operation because it was deem an essential business under the city's mandatory closures.
