LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A historic Catholic school building in downtown Las Vegas was saved by firefighters after it caught fire on the morning of Feb. 8.
Las Vegas Fire & Rescue says there were no reported injuries during the incident and the cause of the fire is under investigation.
RELATED: BREAKING NEWS BLOG FOR FEB. 8
Fire dispatchers received several 9-1-1 calls at 8:22 a.m. that heavy smoke was coming from the vacant St. Joseph Catholic School building at 1300 E. Bridger Ave., on the corner of north 13th Street downtown.
When firefighters arrived, they say there was heavy smoke coming from the large, boarded-up, one-story building.
A second alarm was requested by the responding fire unit to bring additional resources to the scene.
Firefighters say they found a fire in the attic, mostly above the ceiling of the school.
Firefighters say they were able to extinguish most of the fire within 15 minutes; within a half-hour, it was out, except for a few remaining hot spots.
The building currently is vacant and boarded up.
It also has a cyclone fence around the property to keep people out. But authorities say squatters told firefighters that people were staying in the building, even some in the attic, the place where it appeared the fire had started.
The exact cause of the fire is under investigation. Authorities say it was noted that there was debris in the building that indicated that squatters were staying there.
The amount of damage has not been estimated at this time.
There were no injuries reported during the incident.
Built in 1948, the site is considered a historic building. It has been vacant for some time.
