(Spencer)– Another Spencer business was destroyed by fire over the weekend.
Spencer firefighters were called to Crescent Electric at 419 East First Street in Spencer around 12:30 p.m. Saturday.
Upon arriving firefighters found heavy smoke coming from the roof of the building in the area of an office. Firefighters entered the structure and tried to extinguish the blaze, which had spread along with roofline from the south office area to a garage on the north side and a warehouse on the west side.
Spencer Fire Chief Doug Duncan says the center section of the roof collapsed, forcing firefighters out of the building. They then mounted an exterior attack. 10-hours later they managed to extinguish the blaze.
An investigation Sunday into the cause determined a large chunk of snow and ice fell from the roof and landed on a natural gas line on the southeast corner of the building, cracking it. Duncan says the gas was ignited when a furnace kicked in.
The building and its contents were considered a total loss, with total damages possibly exceeding two million dollars.
A fire caused in a similar way heavily damaged General Traffic Controls in Spencer just a couple weeks ago.
No injuries were reported in Saturday’s blaze. Spencer firefighters were assisted on the scene Saturday by the Spencer Ambulance, Spencer Police, Spencer Street Department, Spencer Hospital and Spencer Municipal Utilities.
