Firefighters tackle fire in southwest Cedar Rapids

CEDAR RAPIDS — The Cedar Rapids Fire Department took on a fire in southwest Cedar Rapids Thursday afternoon that caused extensive damage to a building that housed retail, office space and a church.

No injuries were reported from the fire in the building at 3300 Southgate Court SW. The fire was called in at 1:50 p.m., and by 3:30 p.m. it was mostly put out, with crews still fighting small flare ups in pockets of the building, according to Cedar Rapids Public Safety Communications Specialist Mike Battien.

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Wind speed and direction prevented firefighters from getting inside the building during the fire -- instead, they used aerial trucks and crews on the ground. A later search of the building found no occupants, according to a news release.

The building was damaged extensively, if not catastrophically, Battien said.

The news release states that the building housed retail and business office space, as well as a church. All areas of the building were damaged, either from smoke, fire, water, or a combination of the three.

The cause of the fire was determined to be smoking materials left unattended near an entrance to the building.

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