[Press Release] : FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: **Columbia Fire Department Responds to Commercial Structure Fire at Boone Hospital**

[Press Releases]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Battalion Chief Brad Fraizer
Office - 573-874-7557, Monday through Friday

**Columbia Fire Department Responds to Commercial Structure Fire at Boone Hospital**

COLUMBIA, MO (March 25, 2015) - The cause of this event appears to be electrical but remains under investigation. Additional information will be distributed once it becomes available.





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The Columbia Fire Department was dispatched to a commercial structure fire at 1600 Broadway East, Boone Hospital Center at 9:32am on Wednesday March 25, 2015.

Fire crews arrived on the scene less than four minutes later and observed heavy smoke coming from the upper, northeast corner of the building as well as charring in the same area where electrical service feed into the hospital.  

East and westbound lanes of Broadway between Williams and Old 63 were shut down as fire crews began aggressively investigating.  

While the scene was stabilized within a few minutes it took several hours of extensive overhaul to the outside, brick facade of the building which was conducted with significant safety measures put in place to mitigate the danger of falling debris and electrical hazards.

During this process a large portion of the building's brick was removed and there was one occurrence of electrical arcing when falling bricks hit the channels carrying the electrical service into the structure.  

Fire crews were eventually able to breach the outer wall and apply compressed air foam into concealed spaces to smother any existing fire and smoldering embers.  The entire process took approximately five hours.  Both east and westbound lanes of Broadway were closed for approximately two and a half hours.  The east bound lane was closed for five hours.

Nine units from the Columbia Fire Department responded to this call, there were no reported injuries.  

 



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