Fire destroys historic Champaign building
Posted November 06, 2008 10:00 pm
CHAMPAIGN -- An early morning fire has destroyed a historic building in downtown Champaign.
Deputy Fire Chief Tim Wild says the Metropolitan Building collapsed around 5:30 a.m., about 10 minutes after firefighters arrived. He says nobody was in the building and there were no injuries.
The 1870s-era building most recently housed an estate antiques store, and its upper floors were under renovation.
A Fire Department spokeswoman says it could be days before investigators can get in the building to determine the cause.
Embers started a small fire on the roof of the Orpheum Children's Science Museum about a block away, but it was quickly extinguished.
Fire fighters from Urbana, Savoy, Edge Scott, Eastern Prairie and St. Joseph assisted.
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