LUBBOCK, Texas — Tuesday afternoon, Lubbock Fire and Rescue crews battled smoke and flames coming out of an abandoned structure off of 66th Street and Avenue P.
After putting out the fire, City Code Enforcement got the all-clear to demolish the building and haul it away. Plans which, Stuart Walker, with Code Enforcement, said had actually been in the works for awhile.
“You have vagrants or kids going in the place and it’s a health and safety hazard,” Walker said. “It just so happened we actually had it scheduled for demolition on Thursday and we were able to go ahead and get our contractor out there and put it on the ground and now we’ll clean it up.”
According to LFR, they always investigate after a fire, but this one was too dangerous for firefighters to enter, so the cause will remain unknown.
Steve Holland, a spokesperson with LFR, said the fire could have started for a number of reasons.
“Could’ve been squatters living in the building, it could’ve been something accidental,” Holland said. “Could have been a spark from a power-line or a cigarette, there’s so many things that’s why we have to leave it undetermined.”
