Large fire at Church St. law office causes $6 million in damages
WIVBTV
[{'start': '1.801', 'end': '6.272', 'text': "AT 10.   >> GOOD EVENING. WE BEGIN   TONIGHT AT 10 WITH AN UPDATE   ON THE MASSIVE FIRE IN   DOWNTOWN BUFFALO THIS   AFTERNOON.   >> NO ONE WAS INJURED BY THE   BLAZE, BUT ONE FIREFIGHTER HAD   TO BE TREATED FOR DEHYDRATION.   CHURCH STREET REOPENED JUST A   COUPLE OF HOURS AGO.   >> COMPANIES OPERATING AT 33.   AHEAD OF THAT BUILDING. NOW   THEY LEAD LINES FOUGHT   AGGRESSIVELY BACKED OUT   BECAUSE OF THE CONDITIONS.   FIRE MOVED TO THE FROM THE   SECOND TO THE 3RD TO THE ROOF,   A NEWER BUILDING WITH   SPRINKLERS. IT WOULD'VE BEEN A   DIFFERENT STORY. IT WAS   BIZARRE. SO I WAS A BIT LIKE   EASY LIKE IT WAS A SLIGHT   SHAKE. IT UP.   >> I DID GET A LITTLE I WAS   GONNA TEAR UP A LITTLE BIT   BECAUSE LIKE ARE A LOT OF RAIN   TO HISTORIC AND BEAUTIFUL   BUILDING. WE DON'T WANT ANY   HARM TO COME TO IT. SO WE'RE   VERY CONCERNED.   >> THE DAMAGE TO 36 CHURCH   STREET AND SURROUNDING   STRUCTURES IS OVER 6 MILLION   DOLLARS. THE AS A RESULT OF   THE FOUR-ALARM FIRE. THE   BUFFALO SKYLINE WAS FILLED   WITH MORE THAN CLOUDS THIS   AFTERNOON. BUT THE SMOKE PLUME   THAT COULD BE SEEN EVEN FROM   ACROSS THE PEACE BRIDGE. OUR   DILLON MORELLO IS LIVE IN   DOWNTOWN BUFFALO WITH THE   LATEST ON WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT   THE FIRE. DYLAN.   >> PARTLY THAT'S RIGHT. I'M   STANDING OUTSIDE OF THE CHART   THAT WAS ONCE THE PAUL WILLIAM   BELTS LAW FROM OFFICE. LET ME   STEP TO THE SIDE, YOU CAN SEE   WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE NOW AT THIS   HOUR. AS YOU CAN SEE, MANY OF   THE WINDOWS AND THE FACADE   HAVE BEEN BROKEN DOWN. NOW,   CLEANUP CREWS ARE STILL OUT   HERE AT THIS TIME SWEEPING UP   WHAT OFFICIALS CALL A FIRE   THAT CAUSED UPWARDS OF   6 MILLION DOLLARS IN DAMAGE.   >> THE FIRE BROKE OUT JUST   BEFORE 12, 30 THIS AFTERNOON   INSIDE THE CHURCH STREET LAW   OFFICES CREATING THICK CLOUDS   OF SMOKE THROUGHOUT THE CITY.   >> THE MAIN BODY OF FIRE SEEMS   LIKE CURRENTLY IT STARTED ON   THE SECOND FLOOR, RIGHT? THE   MIDDLE. IT'S A VERY HARD   BUILDING TO ACCESS THAT FIRE   BECAUSE OF THE BUILDING ON THE   LEFT SIDE, RIGHT SIDE AS MANY   AS 100 FIRE PERSONNEL WERE   DOWNTOWN FIGHTING THE BLAZE,   WHICH BY 01:00PM HAD RISEN TO   A FOUR-ALARM FIRE. BUFFALO   FIRE CAPTAIN PAT LALLY SAYS   EVERYONE INSIDE THE BUILDING   WAS EVACUATED. THE CONDITIONS   BECAME UNTENABLE VERY QUICKLY.   >> AND SO MEETING PRETTY   BACKED DRAFT KIND OF. AND SO   THEY BACKED OUT TO GO   DEFENSIVE. AND THAT'S WHEN THE   FIRE WAS ALLOWED TO GO FROM   THE SECOND 3RD TO TO THE ROOF.   >> THE CAUSE IS NOT KNOWN YET.   INVESTIGATION IS ONGOING.   LALLY SAYS THE BUILDING BUILT   IN THE 60'S HAD NO SPRINKLERS.   >> BUILDINGS WERE BUILT, BUILT   UNDER DIFFERENT COATS.   SPRINKLERS ARE A GODSEND.   >> AND THEY WEREN'T REQUIRED   BACK IN 1965.   >> NO NEIGHBORS WERE INJURED.   ONE BUFFALO FIREFIGHTER WAS   TRANSPORTED TO THE HOSPITAL   FOR DEHYDRATION.   >> OBVIOUSLY, LIFE SAFETY IS   ALWAYS FIRST AFTER THAT. ARE   THESE BUILDINGS OKAY?   >> ONCE EVERYONE WAS ACCOUNTED   FOR, THE FOCUS WENT TO THE   STRUCTURES ON EITHER SIDE OF   THE LAW OFFICE. THIS STORY   GUARANTEE AND VERIZON   BUILDINGS.   >> WE KNOW THIS IS A TREASURE.   THE CITY OF BUFFALO, A   NATIONAL TREASURE. ONE OF THE   FIRST SKYSCRAPERS, HISTORIC   AND BEAUTIFUL BUILDING.   >> WE DON'T WANT ANY HARM TO   COME TO IT. SO WE'RE VERY   CONCERNED.   >> A CITY SPOKESPERSON REPORTS   THE VERIZON BUILDING SUFFERED   $25,000 IN SMOKE AND WATER   DAMAGE ON THE GUARANTEE   BUILDING SUFFERED AN ESTIMATED   $750,000 IN STRUCTURAL DAMAGE   IN 150,000 TO ITS CONTENTS FOR   COUNCILMEMBER MITCH NOAH   KOSKI. THIS IS THE 4TH FIRE   INVOLVING HISTORIC BUILDINGS   IN HIS DISTRICT IN RECENT   MEMORY. HE SAYS ALL OF THEM   NEED TO BE REINSPECTED. WE   HAVE TO TAKE A MOMENT TO LOOK   AT OUR CODE, ESPECIALLY   CERTAIN DATES OF THESE   BUILDINGS ARE BUILT AND   REQUIRING THEM TO HAVE   SPRINKLER SYSTEMS BECAUSE WE   KNOW THE EMERGENCIES HAPPEN IN   BUILDINGS.   >> NEIGHBORS WERE ASKED TO   AVOID THE AREA STILL AS THE   FIRE QUICKLY SPREAD. SO DID   GATHERINGS TO WATCH. USED TO   BE A VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER   PERSONALLY ALSO. SO IT KIND OF   INTERESTING SEE HOW THINGS GO.   THAT WAS VERY CONCERNED. I   WANTED TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING   THAT ARE EVERYBODY WAS SAFE.   NEVER SEEN A FIRE THIS BIG   BEFORE. ESPECIALLY RIGHT NEXT   TO OUR APARTMENT. THAT'S KIND   OF SCARY. NOTHING CRAZY.   >> NOW IN A STATEMENT THIS   EVENING, ACTING MAYOR CHRIS   CAMLIN SAID THAT HE COMMENDED   THE BUFFALO FIRE DEPARTMENT   FOR THEIR SWIFT RESPONSE   SAYING THAT TODAY WAS A TRUE   TESTAMENT TO THEIR SKILL AND"}]