3-alarm fire at Trenton building leads to collapse

TRENTON (WPVI) -- Flames churned through a Trenton building early Thursday morning on the 600 block of South Broad Street.

No one was injured.

The blaze broke out shortly before midnight. Hours later, the structure collapsed.

No one was believed to be inside.

Later in the morning, firefighters were still blasting water at the site, as smoke rose from the debris.

C. Andre Daniels, director of Trenton's Housing & Economic Development, was walking the site.

"We also want to do, is be able to have the owner have a private company come in to do some excavation so the fire marshal and the firefighters can actually get inside and make sure that the fire is actually fully stamped out," Daniels told Action News.

Fire investigators from the state stood at the scene.

The owner of 'Party Hut', a store that was on the first floor, said there was retail space on the first floor and storage upstairs.

Daniels added, "The second and third floor was pretty much packed out with different supplies. No individuals and no people stayed here that we know of at this point."

A family who lives in a next door building was relocated while their building is assessed for safety.

One man, who used to be a truck driver for the office furniture store at the building, could not believe his eyes.

"I couldn't believe it. When I seen on the news- 5 o' clock this morning- Channel 6- it was unbelievable," said Ed Lowndes of Hamilton.