Nine apartments engulfed in Owensboro fire

Reporter: Stuart Peck
New Media Producer: Rachel Beavin

Update, Fri 4:55 PM: The four alarm fire in Owensboro burned until early Friday morning.

The fire destroyed a building and the nine apartments above it. Luckily no one was hurt.

The cause of the fire still unknown.

Every fire apparatus in Owensboro was at the scene on 14th and Moseley Thursday night.

It didn't take long for the old Ward's Trend House Furniture store to go up in flames.

The building's owner, Ralph Ward, says he  is still in a state of disbelief, "It's a mess, I'm still kind of in shock, just to look at it. That's 30 years of my life I spent in that building you know."

Ralph Ward says that a building can be rebuilt. He's just glad everyone that lived in the apartments above are okay, "Things like this happen, but you know, it's something. We'll get over it. A building is just a building, you know, if anybody had gotten hurt, that I probably couldn't have lived with."

That almost wasn't the case. Ward says someone almost didn't make it out, "We almost lost one person in it but they got out right at the last second. Boyfriend showed up, she was asleep and fire was already in the apartment."

Demolition crews are actually tearing down the building so firefighters can get to other hotspots in the back of the building.

Because of how dangerous the building is and how susceptible to collapse it is, nobody is allowed to go inside.

The only way to get to these hotspots is by actually taking the building down.

Thursday night's cold temperatures didn't keep bystanders away. Several people lined the streets and watched the building go up in flames.

As for Ward, he and his wife were preparing to open a new business here.

The investigation continues at this time. We'll keep following this story.

New Media Producer: Rachel Beavin

Earlier: Firefighters tell 14 News they believe everyone got out of the building safely.

They say the building was fully engulfed in the fire and that the roof has collapsed.

Firefighters will continue to fight the blaze.  There is no word yet as to what may have caused the fire.

Previously: Fire crews are responding to a four-alarm fire in Owensboro.

The fire is at Old Wards Trend House Furniture, there are apartments above the store.

That is at the intersection of 14th and Moseley.

Reports from the scene indicate the building is fully engulfed.