LANCASTER, Pa. – Firefighters battle a stubborn smoke fire at a commercial building in downtown Lancaster. An automatic alarm sounded at about 7 pm in the four story building at 29 East King Street at the intersection of North Christian Street. The first floor of the building is occupied by The Art Store. The Lancaster County Courthouse complex right next door on the other side of N. Christian Street.
The firefighters on the scene encountered heavy smoke on the upper floors and sounded a second alarm. The fire apparently broke out in the elevator control room in the basement. The building sprinkler system extinguished the fire.
A cleaning crew in the building, despite the sounding fire alarm, were not aware of the fire until firefighters arrived. The crew made it out of the building safely.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. Traffic along heavily traveled East King is being detoured.
