A blaze that left a hole in the roof of the National School of Real Estate building in North Little Rock and closed J.F.K. Boulevard for several blocks Monday was contained in about 20 minutes.
The fire at 5323 J.F.K. Boulevard started around 12:30 p.m.
North Little Rock Fire Department Capt. Jerry Robinson said the fire appears to have started in the attic of the building but a cause is not yet known.
Police arrived first and found no one in the building, Robinson said.
The fire was not fully involved, and firefighters were able to contain it from within the building.
Firefighters were checking for hotspots as of 1:30 p.m. prior to beginning an investigation of the blaze.
“Right now everything is under investigation until we can determine a probable cause and area of origin,” Robinson said.
Ray Kordsmeier owns the building leased to National School of Real Estate. The business owners called Kordsmeier Monday afternoon to tell him about the fire.
“I was surprised,” Kordsmeier said. “The first thing I thought was 'I hope no one was hurt.'”