UPDATE: Fargo commercial building destroyed in known to have been broken into and used by homeless

FARGO (KFGO) – It took more than three hours to knock down a fire that destroyed a large commercial building in the 1400 block of 1st Avenue North, just west of downtown Fargo. The fire was reported around 3:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Fargo Fire Department Battalion Chief Joe Mangin said an excavator was brought in to pull down the walls because it was impossible to work safely next to the burning building. The excavator will also be used as investigators search the debris.

He said the building is believed to have been vacant and had been broken into in the past and homeless people were known to have stayed there.

The building was adjacent to a larger building that burned in December 2020 that had been owned by Gary Reinhart. That building was filled with antiques and surrounded by large animal statues.

Firefighters used two ladder trucks to pour thousands of gallons of water on the building. The fire and smoke could be seen for blocks. Strong winds sent the smoke south, covering part of Main Avenue and surrounding streets, reducing visibility to zero in some places.