Downtown Austin was the scene of a Friday morning scare when a fire broke out in a high-rise building, the Austin Fire Department rapidly responded to reports of flames engulfing a machine closet on the 300 block of West 6th Street, according to information disseminated via their official X account.
The incident, which occurred early in the day, was swiftly brought under control with firefighters dousing the fire within minutes, despite the prompt extinguishment, crews continued their operation, searching for potential spreading and tackling the task of evacuating smoke and combustion byproducts from the premises, as reported by the Austin Fire Department.
AFD on scene of a reported fire in a high rise in the 300 block of W 6th street. Reported fire in a machine closet area. Avoid the area #ATXTraffic @ATCEMS also responding
— Austin Fire Info (@AustinFireInfo) January 26, 2024
While the flames were confined and extinguished without much delay, firefighters remained on the scene to ensure that the fire had not extended into other parts of the building, following extensive safety checks, the area remained restricted, with traffic advisories imploring the public to steer clear of Lavaca and West 6th Street momentarily as cleanup efforts were underway, the Austin Fire Department expressed this advisory in a subsequent tweet.
CBS Austin also covered the incident, confirming that fire crews had stamped out the blaze and were involved in smoke removal, diligently working to restore normalcy to the downtown area which saw minor disruptions due to this unexpected event.
