MADISON COUNTY, Ill. – A massive three-alarm fire destroyed an apartment building under construction at the Meridian Apartments in Glen Carbon early Tuesday morning.
Authorities suspect a lightning strike sparked the blaze, which was contained to one building.
The fire occurred at the Meridian Apartments complex, located at Auerbach Place and Meridian Road, just off Route 157 in Glen Carbon. Fire crews responded to the call just before 4 a.m., finding smoke and flames pouring from the building.
The fire quickly escalated to a three-alarm status, with ten different departments responding and approximately 40 to 50 firefighters on the scene.
Chief Jason Whitaker of the Glen Carbon Fire Protection District stated that lightning was in the area at the time of the fire, and there are no utilities running to the building yet. Firefighters have been working for hours to put out the fire, with smoke still rising from the building long after the initial call.
The Meridian Apartments complex is still under construction, and no residents were present at the time of the fire.
Heavy equipment is being used to demolish the damaged building to prevent reignition and address safety concerns, especially with the possibility of more strong weather.
All facts from this article were gathered by KTVI journalists. This article was converted into this format with assistance from artificial intelligence. It has been edited and approved by KTVI staff.