WAYCROSS, Ga. – Minimal damage was reported and renovations resumed Friday after a historic, five-story building in downtown Waycross caught fire Thursday afternoon, fire officials told News4Jax.
Black smoke billowing from the Bunn Building on Elizabeth Street could be seen from all over town.
"It was just unbelievable," witness Leah McDonald said.
The Waycross Fire Department told News4Jax the fire started about 2:30 p.m. Thursday while renovation crews were on the roof.
"We came out. The building, the roof was totally on fire. It was engulfed in a tremendous amount of black smoke that literally had the sky clouded," the Rev. Ferrell Marone Sr. said.
Marone said there were four Waycross fire engines and two from Ware County battling the fire, with water being sprayed into the building on all four sides. Waycross Battalion Chief Jim Blackburn said about 50 fire personnel were used to battle the blaze, which was contained to the roof, where investigators said it had started.
Because of the age of the building and the likelihood it contained asbestos, firefighters didn't enter the building but attacked the fire from outside, using ladder trucks to battle the flames, Blackburn said.
PHOTOS: Historic building catches fire in Waycross
Even after the fire was under control, Sky 4 drone video captured firefighters on the roof, tending to hot spots that kept flaring up. Investigators said the flames did not spread to the interior of the building.
The building, which was built in 1912, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Over the years, it has housed a theater, a pharmacy and a five-and-dime store.
According to a University of North Florida gallery of historical architecture, the Bunn Building was the first "fireproof,” reinforced concrete building in the region.
The Waycross City Commission approved a resolution Wednesday to support converting the building into 50 units of affordable housing.
"It’s very sad because we were looking forward to having it restored," McDonald said.
Waycross resident Gail McQuig held back tears as she saw the flames shooting from the roof of the building where she had worked on the fourth floor for 22 years before it closed.
"It was a wonderful place," she said. "Wonderful memories."
The battalion chief said one firefighter had to be treated for heat issues at the scene, but was able to go back to work.
As of Friday, according to fire officials, it was still uncertain what caused the fire, but the only part of the Bunn Building that was damaged was an added-on A-frame made of wood, asphalt and tar paper, which is what produced the thick, black smoke.