Akron firefighters were working to put out a fire raging at a South Akron apartment building that had been condemned after its facade crumbled onto the sidewalk below.
Crews were alerted just before 10 p.m. Feb 3 to the fire at Parkside Apartments, 1431 S. Main St., at the intersection with East Emerling Avenue.
It was not immediately clear whether anyone was known to be inside the building at the time.
Traffic in the area was being diverted around the scene.
A Beacon Journal editor who was passing the building shortly after 10 p.m. saw flames shooting out of first-floor windows on the south side of the building. An EMS crew that was first to arrive was unloading a stretcher on South Main Street as fire engines began pulling up.
A short time later, a Beacon Journal photographer arriving witnessed part of the structure collapsing and observed crews attacking the fire from all four sides of the building.
Sections of the facade came crashing down Feb. 9, 2025, making the building unsafe to occupy and forcing dozens of residents to relocate. Since then, the building’s owner has waged a legal battle to try to stave off demolition after city officials condemned the property.
This is a developing story.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Fire tears through condemned South Main Street apartment building
Reporting by Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
