BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Crews battled a fire on 7th Street in Buffalo Wednesday afternoon at the old Shoreline Apartments.
According to Buffalo Fire Commissioner, William Renaldo, the building was evacuated as a precaution. It's unclear how many people were inside when the fire broke out. The apartments have been vacant since 2017.
The fire required a lot of resources, including a de-contamination crew who was there because of reports of asbestos, per Commissioner Renaldo. Up to 30 firefighters may have been exposed.
"By the looks of it there could be some squatters in there and we think that may be how this fire started, possibly," said Commissioner Renaldo.
The fire remains under investigation.
7 Eyewitness News told you these apartments will be torn down at the end of January and replaced with new subsidized housing. This fire does not impact the plans for demolition, per Norstar Development USA, owners of the building.
"We will re-secure the building and demo to start end of January. All the buildings will be demolished so the fire does not hinder those activities," said Linda Goodman, Senior Vice President.
