Crews were called to a structure fire around 12:38 p.m. Monday, where the first firefighters on scene were met with heavy fire and a partial building collapse, said Urbana Fire Chief Dean Ortlieb.
There are several structures that are connected within the city block near North Russell and West Court streets in Urbana, and a majority of the buildings were on fire at some point, Ortlieb said.
As a precautionary measure and due to how advanced the fire was, crews evacuated some of the houses and buildings nearby due to sparks and smoke.
“What we’re trying to do is take a defensive stance, and in a defensive stance, what we’re trying to do is save the buildings that are not on fire,” Ortlieb said on Monday afternoon. “We basically have a city block on fire. All these buildings are connected, (and) we’re trying to get ahead of the fire and stop the fire.”
Ortlieb said it’s a challenge to get ahead of the fire when you’re not able to be inside because it “can go in many different avenues” but they have put “a decent stop” on the fire by late Monday afternoon.
Most of the crews and several engines from Champaign County were on scene helping to contain the fire, including members from fire departments in Clark County, Logan County, St. Paris, Mechanicsburg, West Liberty, North Lewisburg and Moorefield Twp. Crews also got help from city administration, water and police departments to help with evacuations and making sure there is enough water.
Crews were on scene for several hours Monday evening to contain and put out the fire because all the buildings that were early into the fire are collapsing and there’s fire underneath, Ortlieb said.
There were no reports of residents or firefighters being injured from the fire.
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