Empty downtown warehouse being torn down after fire

ST. LOUIS – St. Louis firefighters worked with demolition crews on Tuesday to help tear down a warehouse at Hempstead and Broadway after crews spent more than 24 hours struggling to extinguish the fire. The owner of the building is unsurprised by Monday’s fire. This is the second fire at the building over the five years he’s owned the property.

Owner Adam Keune said the warehouse has sat vacant for the last three years. He said a tenant left after renting the property for two years. Keune is constantly dealing with people breaking in, stealing scrap metal, and tearing the warehouse apart.

“I’m doing this whole project, battling the homeless people, trying to keep the homeless people out; I’m doing this on my own,” Keune said. “I’ve had no support from the city, not from the police, not from the mayor’s office, nothing.”

Firefighters were out at the warehouse back in July when it caught fire. City officials said they contacted the building division to let them know the building was not safe.

“We do know that the property owner filed a demolition permit on Aug. 1, so we were going to go in there and demolish it. It’s always unfortunate to hear when a building is being broken into, when folks are taking advantage of a building that is no longer being used. That is always a shame,” city spokesman Conner Kerrigan said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2.