Downtown Memphis streets near 2nd Street were blocked off Saturday evening as more than a dozen fire engines converged on a vacant building engulfed in flames. The scene at 18 South 2nd Street remained active as of 7:15 p.m., with an ambulance on standby and no injuries confirmed.
According to Action News 5, crews counted at least 12 fire engines at the scene outside the building. First responders blocked off the surrounding area while they worked, and the outlet reported it was still awaiting more information from the Memphis Fire Department as the response continued.
Vacant Property Had Been Listed for Sale
The station's report identified the building at 18 South 2nd as a vacant industrial property currently listed for sale. Shelby County property records cited in the same account name Allied Group Realty LLC as the building's owner.
No injuries had been confirmed at the time of the report, and the cause of the fire was not addressed. The outlet indicated it planned to update the story as more details became available.
A Century-Old Building in Downtown's Core
The structure at the center of Saturday's response has stood in Downtown Memphis for well over a century. A University of Memphis Libraries collection identifies a commercial building at 18 S. 2nd Street as having been built around 1900 in the Romanesque Revival style. An image of the building in that collection is credited to photographer Alan Karchmer, part of his holdings in the university's Special Collections Department.
As of Saturday evening, the extent of any damage to the building and the eventual outcome of the fire had not been reported. This remains a developing story.
