VIDEO: Large structure fire shuts down road in Hot Springs

A fire on Albert Pike Road in Hot Springs has shut down the entire street.
A fire on Albert Pike Road in Hot Springs has shut down the entire street.

1:20 P.M. UPDATE:

A crew has started to tear down the fire-damaged building at Afton Street and Albert Pike Road in Hot Springs using a hydraulic excavator.

Albert Pike Road remains closed around the fire scene. A ladder truck from the Hot Springs Fire Department was parked in the middle of the roadway early Tuesday afternoon, spraying water on the remains of the building as it was torn down.

The Hot Springs Police Department said Albert Pike would be shut down around the scene until further notice. Police recommend that motorists use Hobson Street and Main Street to avoid the closure.

The Sentinel-Record/Tanner Newton
A crew uses a hydraulic excavator to tear down a building at the corner of Afton and Albert Pike that burned early Tuesday morning.
The Sentinel-Record/Tanner Newton A crew uses a hydraulic excavator to tear down a building at the corner of Afton and Albert Pike that burned early Tuesday morning.

EARLIER:

Firefighters in Hot Springs were battling a large fire Tuesday morning in a former shopping center on Albert Pike Road, authorities said.

Sgt. Joey Williams, a spokesman with the Hot Springs Police Department, said authorities got a call at 8:15 a.m. about a large fire in the area and they immediately shut down Albert Pike Road.

"The fire is still active and the road will be blocked for awhile," Williams said.

The state Department of Transportation issued a report shortly before 9 a.m., warning drivers of the fire in Garland County and stating that traffic was being diverted in the area.

Williams said the fire is located in a strip mall that is mostly abandoned.

"There are some shops in the area, but we have no reports of injuries at this time," the spokesman said.

A traffic map showed that the road had not been cleared by 12:45 p.m. Tuesday. Check for updates on the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette live traffic map.

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