FORREST CITY — A fire that broke out at an unoccupied building in downtown Forrest City destroyed five buildings and caused firefighters to work overnight to get the blaze under control.
Firefighters responded to a call about 12:30 p.m. Sunday and were on the scene for almost 24 hours. Authorities were investigating the cause of the blaze.
Assistant Forrest City Fire Chief Anthony Renigar said the intense heat made fighting the fire more difficult.
The heat destroyed a vehicle that was parked nearby, officials said, melting its headlights and grill.
Explosions that occurred could have been caused by a number of things, including propane tanks or paint cans, firefighters said.
Two of the buildings had been condemned by the city. Mayor Larry Bryant said he was inside one of the buildings last week with a code inspector and said it was obvious that vagrants had been using the building. He said the explosions could have come from chemicals used to manufacture methamphetamine.
Some firefighters had to leave the downtown fire to battle a brush fire that occurred nearby, officials said.
Arkansas, Pages 11 on 05/30/2012