Fire destroys building

A Thursday afternoon fire consumed a 47-year-old vacant building on Highway 50 East.

Investigators are trying to determine what caused the old Carson Redi Mix building, 1300 East Williams St., to go up in flames about 2 p.m.

Pederson Properties owns the property. The building has an assessed value of $7,600 and the land is valued at $228,691.

The building, on the corner of State and William streets, has been abandoned for a number of years and is a popular hangout for transients, said Carson City Fire Department Battalion Chief Dan Shirey.

Chad Gilmore, 16, an employee of nearby Schlotzky's deli, said a group of customers came in and sat at the windows facing the building.

"When we brought them their food, they said, 'You better call 911. There's smoke coming out of the building over there.' So we did," he said.

Water utilities worker Rit Palmer was in the area and saw flames creeping on the east side of the structure.

"It was just burning and then it exploded," he said.

Shirey said the wood on the structure was so old and brittle, within a matter of moments the entire building was destroyed.

"With wood this old, it just went up," he said. "By the time our first truck got here, it was 90 percent consumed."