FAYETTEVILLE -- Firefighters say a fire built by a homeless man Monday for warmth resulted in smoke and water damage to the old train depot building at 548 W. Dickson St.
Capt. Andrew Horton with the Fayetteville Fire Marshal's Office said firefighters were initially dispatched to a report of a house fire at 330 N. Gregg Ave. When they arrived, Horton said, the firefighters quickly realized the fire was at the old train depot building just to the east. The house is separated from the train depot building by a line of trees along the railroad tracks and the Razorback Greenway.
Horton said the blaze was extinguished by 9:57 p.m.
A homeless man apparently built the fire for warmth on the wooden deck on the west side of the building, according to Horton. Temperatures were reported in the 30s, with a wind chill near freezing, around the time of the fire, according to the National Weather Service. The man was taken by ambulance to a local hospital for injuries not related to the fire, he said.
Horton said there was some smoke and water damage to the building, but no fire damage to the interior.
"It was almost identical to what we had in October," Horton said.
Firefighters were called to the same location Oct. 12 and extinguished a fire in the same area. In that instance, the fire did some damage to the interior of the building.
The building most recently housed an Arsaga's coffee shop and restaurant. That business closed in August 2021, and Horton said the building has been unused since.