Firefighters Let Condemned Rock Island Home Burn Down

A condemned building in Rock Island that was scheduled for demolition is now in ruins following a Thursday morning fire.

Crews from Wenatchee Valley Fire Department (WVFD) responded to the blaze in the 1400 block of Douglas Avenue at around 8:45 a.m.

Upon arrival at the scene, firefighters discovered a one-and-a-half-story home with smoke and flames on its upper portions.

WVFD Operations Chief, Andy Davidson, says firefighters initially took up an offense plan to attack the flames but quickly changed course after receiving additional information about the structure.

"Upon arrival of our command personnel, an official with the City of Rock Island told us that the building was a city-owned property and that it was already scheduled for demolition. So he asked us not to risk our personnel any more than necessary to put out the fire."

Davidson says after receiving permission from the City not to fight the fire, crews were given the rare opportunity to watch the house go up in flames.

"At that point, we made the decision based on the fact that there were some hoarder conditions inside the home, and the house was unoccupied, and it had already been scheduled for demolition, to just search the building and make sure there was nobody inside. Then we protected all of the exposures and just let the home burn down."

No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire is currently unknown and under investigation.