North Tonawanda fire investigators are continuing to search for the cause of a Wednesday night blaze that erupted in the former Lowry Middle School building on Payne Avenue.
Fire Chief Doug Orlowski said investigators were still sifting through the rubble on the third floor of the building and that all power to the structure had been cut.
“There’s nothing on the cause yet,” Orlowski said. “We’re still investigating. Digging into it a little more.”
Firefighters responded to the now vacant building about 8:30 p.m., after dispatchers at Niagara County Fire Control received reports of smoke coming from the third floor of the building.
NT’s Truck 1, Rescue 1, Engine 4 and Engine 6 arrived on the scene and firefighters said they saw smoke billowing from several third-floor windows. A second alarm was activated, and all off-duty manpower was called to the scene.
When firefighters entered the building, through a door on the southeast side of the structure, they found a fire burning on the third floor in an art classroom with a photography lab. Firefighters said they encountered heavy smoke and high heat conditions throughout the third floor but were able to extinguish the blaze.
Fire officials said the building is currently privately owned and has been vacant for years. No injuries were reported while battling the blaze.
Damage to the building was estimated at $50,000.