ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – A little more than two weeks after the demolition of the former Jamestown Mall started, the eyesore in north county once again caught fire.
The fencing is up with the ongoing demolition and the fire is out for the most part. The chief of the Blackjack Fire Protection District, Roger Ellison, told FOX 2 that crews let the fire burn itself out. County police are at the scene monitoring the situation.
Ellison also shared that crews got the call about 10:30 p.m. He said when firefighters got there the flames were already through the roof. The fire started in the former cinema area. He explained how crews had limited ways to fight the fire because the hydrants there are no longer working with the demolition. Firefighters did put some water on it that they carry in their trucks, but beyond that crews had to let the fire burn.
The mall originally opened in 1973, butt it has been closed since 2014 and has been the site of many issues in recent years. This is the third fire at the mall just this year. Two firefighters suffered minor injuries in one of those earlier fires.
Here is some of what Ellison told FOX 2 earlier about the decision not to aggressively fight the fire:
You know, it’s a vacant building,” Chief Ellison said. “It’s under demolition – like I said, no report of anybody trapped inside. There was no reason to put any of our firefighters lives in jeopardy over it. The fire was contained to that building. It was contained to that area of the building; so watching it was our best option.”
Our Bommarito Automotive Group SkyFOX helicopter was over the mall back on September 26. That was when the demolition officially began.
The complex is over a million square feet. Demolition is expected to be completed by early next summer. It’s unclear what kind of redevelopment might ultimately take place there in the future.