A fire that consumed a building on the outskirts of Fort Smith overnight was still burning early Monday afternoon, authorities said.
Fort Smith Fire Chief Phil Christensen said the call about the structure fire at 9705 S. U.S Route 271 came around 8:45 p.m. Sunday and that the blaze was contained around 1 a.m. According to Christensen, U.S. 271 was closed from the time of the call until 7 a.m. Monday.
The building, which Christensen said is owned by Altes Sanitation, is used to store bales of cardboard. The fire chief said the flammable material contributed to the intensity of the blaze. The structure was unoccupied at the time of the fire, and no injuries were reported, he said.
Multiple fire departments, including the White Bluff-Rye Hill Volunteer Fire Department, the Bonanza Fire Department and the EMP (Excelsior, Midland, Pleasant View) Rural Fire Department responded to the blaze.
Christensen said one of the complications with the fire was the lack of fire hydrants in the area; Sebastian County has a limited number of hydrants and the building was on the edge of the city, he said. His department was able to use a hydrant directly, but some of the other agencies had to shuttle in water to fight the fire, according to the chief.
Christensen said the fire’s cause had not yet been determined, but that fire marshals were investigating Monday afternoon. He did not have an estimate of the damage done by the fire.