A three-story building that stood for more than a century in downtown Laurel was being taken down Wednesday afternoon following an early morning fire that damaged the brick structure beyond repair.
No injuries were reported, and the State Fire Marshal’s Office continues to investigate the blaze that destroyed the building located at 130 E. Market St.
Martin Torbert, who was staying at his girlfriend’s place, said he walked out to smoke when he noticed what he thought was a thick fog. The Seaford resident then realized the fog was, in fact, smoke from the fire.
“The whole building was just engulfed in smoke,” he told Delaware Online/The News Journal. “You can hear the window panes cracking from the heat, and as soon as those window panes came out, it was an inferno.”
The fire was reported at about 1 a.m. Wednesday, according to Laurel Fire Company spokesperson Mike Lowe.
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Arriving crews saw smoke coming from the building’s third floor. The flames then began spreading after that, shooting out of windows and several stories above the building’s roof.
“It spread extremely rapidly,” Lowe said.
Fire companies from the surrounding area arrived to help out.
Lowe said no one was in the building, adding that the second- and third-floor apartments were vacant as they were being renovated. The No. 1 Chinese Restaurant, which is on the building’s first floor at East Market Street and Delaware Avenue, was not occupied at the time of the fire.
Torbert, who shot photos and videos of the fire, said he could feel the flame’s heat while he stood about 300 feet away in Market Street Square Park.
“I’ve seen a house fire, but not a fire like this. Not a three-story building,” he said. “I’ve never seen anything like that. It was crazy.”
Torbert said he was grateful firefighters arrived when they did.
“Because if not, we would have lost more than just that one building,” he said.
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Chief Deputy State Fire Marshal John M. Galaska, who estimates the damage to be $2 million, said several surrounding structures were damaged by the fire.
State fire investigators were called to the scene, along with agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Investigators are working to determine the origin and cause of the fire, Galaska said.
Contact Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299, eparra@delawareonline.com.
