VIDEO: A large fire at the Paul William Beltz law firm office building on Thursday afternoon caused an estimated $6 million in damages, officials said. The fire sent heavy smoke throughout downtown Buffalo and closed down Church Street. Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon said no civilians were injured, and one firefighter was taken to the hospital for dehydration.
According to the Buffalo Fire Department, the following buildings were damaged:
- 36 Church St. (an estimated $3 million in structural damage, $1.6 million in damage to the buildingโs contents)
- 65 Franklin St., the Verizon Building ($25,000 in smoke and water damage)
- 140 Pearl St., the Prudential Building ($750,000 in structural damage, $150,000 in damage to the buildingโs contents)
- 130-132 Pearl St. (an estimated $500,000 in structural damage)
Crews battled the four-alarm blaze for hours until it was brought under control at 4 p.m. As many as 100 fire personnel were downtown fighting the fire, which broke out just before 12:30 p.m. The cause is not yet known.
The fire appeared to be several floors up in the building, and crews were attempting to get to it as well as pouring water on the top of the building. However, firefighters had to be pulled out of the building around 1:10 p.m., according to Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz.
The entire county government campus, including the Rath Building, Old County Hall, Family Court, 50 Delaware and the Lincoln Building has been closed and county employees were sent home. Additionally, all courthouses located within the downtown campus were closed for the day.
