Downtown Taylorville building deemed structurally unsafe after massive fire

TAYLORVILLE, Ill. (WAND) - Fire badly damaged a building in downtown Taylorville early Wednesday morning.

A WAND news crew found the fire was directly across from City Hall in the 100 block of North Main Street. It's not clear if the building was occupied.

The Taylorville Fire Department posted a picture of the fire to its Facebook page just before 1:00 AM. Firefighters said smoke was coming from the roof, and there was smoke throughout the building when they arrived.

A defensive approach was taken due to the fire already expanding into the roof and the structure being unstable. Crews saw exterior walls were compromised and showed outward bowing.

A collapse zone was established, and emergency responders were moved to a safe distance.

Along with the Taylorville Fire Department, crews from Owaneco, Stonington, Assumption, Morrisonville-Palmer, Pana Fire, and Dunn's Ambulance responded.

The Taylorville Street Department arrived to secure the area and set up barricades.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

City officials are scheduled to meet with the building owner Wednesday to address the structural damage. A part of the road will remain closed until it is deemed safe, or the building is removed.