Bethlehem Steel: Fire Engulfs Building After Light Bulb Hits Cardboard

A fire at a former Bethlehem Steel building that now contains various businesses broke out early Wednesday morning, causing explosions inside and evacuations of nearby homes.

The fire started around 7:30 a.m. in Lackawanna when a hot light bulb fell on cardboard, the Chicago Tribune reported. More than 100 firefighters battled the blaze, which quickly engulfed the 6-block-long building. Explosions were heard inside the building, which housed recycling and mulch businesses as well as a storage business.

Nearby homes were evacuated and roads were closed because of the fire that billowed thick black smoke for miles around into the area, which borders Lake Erie. The roof and some walls of the building collapsed. No injuries were reported.

The building was once the Lackawanna Steel Company, which was owned by Bethlehem Steel from 1922 to 1983. Twenty thousand people were employed by the plant in the 1940s, Lehighvalleylive.com reported. The town is just south of Buffalo, New York.

The flames from the fire had died down by early afternoon, but smoke was still pouring out of the building and hot spots remained, the Chicago Tribune reported.

A Republic Steel manufacturing plant now resides in the industrial park that caught fire, Fox8 reported. The official cause of the fire is still unknown, fire officials said.

• San Gabriel Mountains Fires: Fast Moving Blazes May Emerge
  
• Sitka Basketball Team Sees Apartment Fire, Guides Residents to Safety