Investigation continues into Equitable Building fire
Five firefighters were hurt fighting a fire inside the 19-story Equitable Building in downtown Des Moines early Saturday.
The building is located at 604 Locust St.
Fire officials tell KCCI a worker in the building heard some sounds and realized there was smoke in the building and called the fire department.
The fire broke out about 1 a.m. with reports of parts of the Equitable Building and the Skywalk connecting the building to the Hub Tower filling with smoke.
Firefighers said they were trying to fight the fire in the space between floors in crawl and mechanical spaces.
The Equitable Building was built in the 1920s and has gone through a few renovations, making it difficult to get to the affected area.
"In an old building like this, different renovations over the years and you end up with different layers in the walls and different types of materials," said Des Moines Fire Chief John TeKippe. "There are a lot of plaster and wire and concrete in there so we have been working through that most of the night."
TeKippe also said the work was very staff-intensive and included a lot of physical work.
Mutual aid from West Des Moines responded in addition to the American Red Cross.
Despite cooler morning temperatures, temperatures ran hot inside the building and inside the firefighters’ gear.
“When they’ve been on scene like they have here for several hours, they’re hungry and need hydrating," said Red Cross volunteer Joe Solem.
A total of five firefighters needed medical attention.
“Three of them were muscular, skeletal type of injuries from some debris falling on them, and two were related to heat from the work they were doing,” TeKippe said.
Firefighters said no surrounding buildings were forced to evacuate.
Early indications are the fire started as a result of a mechanical issue between the second and third floors of the building.
The building completed in 1924 was the tallest building in Iowa for 49 years until 1973. It has been undergoing renovation work.
Some downtown streets, including part of Locust, were blocked off.
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