An overnight fire destroyed a commercial building in St. Paul.
Flames were shooting through the roof and heavy smoke was pouring out of the Universal Engineering Services building in the 1100 block of N. Snelling Avenue by the time the first crews arrived just before 1 a.m. Tuesday, said Roy Mokosso, spokesman for the St. Paul Fire Department.
"It appears that it had been burning for some time" before we got the call, he said. "It was fully involved."
At 6:30 a.m., crews were still on the scene, near Como Avenue just south of the State Fairgrounds, putting out hot spots, Mokosso said.
Investigators will spend Tuesday trying to determine what sparked the blaze, but Mokosso said it is "presumed accidental."
The building will be condemned and likely will be torn down Tuesday, Mokosso said.
The fire was contained to the building, which is in an area that includes both homes and businesses.
No one was injured, Mokosso said.
