Crews Battle Large Warehouse Fire In Superior, Wisconsin

SUPERIOR, Wis. (WCCO) -- Fire crews are working to bring a large warehouse fire under control Thursday morning.

The CBS affiliate in the area reports that the fire is on Superior, Wisconsin's North End district, in the vicinity of Blatnik Bridge. Superior Mayor Jim Paine said the fire was in the Severson building, a fish warehouse. He said the fire then spread to the Bayside building next to it.

Both buildings are total losses, and Paine said that they were "priceless pieces of historical architecture."

A camera in the area showed a significant amount of smoke in the air above the warehouse.

CBS 3 Duluth reports that drivers were being directed to use the Bong Bridge to get around the fire, thought police say that the Blatnik Bridge has been reopened.

Paine said that there are no known injuries in the fire.

Here's the full statement issued by Paine Thursday morning:

"It started in the Severson building to the east (the fish warehouse). That building was quickly engulfed and the fire spread to the second building (Bayside) as it collapsed. Both buildings are completely lost. The good news is that, to the best of our knowledge, nobody has been hurt. The buildings were both vacant but sometimes that can attract people escaping the cold so I was very worried about loss of life. To that end, I'm relieved. But the loss of these buildings is a terrible tragedy. They were both priceless pieces of historic architecture and both had potential for new life. I'm deeply sorry for the loss to the owners and to our community. You are safe today, even in the North End, but don't spend much time outside and please stay away as the fire will continue to burn throughout the day. The National Weather Service and the Fire Department believe the plume will remain fairly contained with minimal risk to the public. Some debris is going to fly around but it's small and the bridge will remain open."