Oct. 1, 2025 3:45p
(WGTD)---A fire heavily damaged a large, vacant commercial building in Racine's Uptown neighborhood early Wednesday morning.
A resident across the street from 1650 Washington Ave. spotted flames coming from the building and called 911 at 3:40 a.m. The blaze was deemed under control about two hours later, according to a news release from the Racine Fire Dept.
Half of the roof of the two-story building collapsed. The first floor sustained minor smoke and water damage.
The building already was in rough shape. It had been flagged by city inspectors as being unsafe and in danger of collapsing. It had been fenced in.
Arson has not been ruled out as a possible cause.
A firefighter suffered a minor injury and was treated at the scene.
Anyone with information on the fire is asked to contact Racine Crime Stoppers at 888-636-9330.
The Racine Fire Bells were called to the scene. Marcos Pizza on Lathrop sent pizzas in for the firefighters.
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