Massive Fire Damages Downtown Raleigh Convention Center

Nearly 50 firefighters worked to extinguish a massive fire Monday evening in downtown Raleigh after a blaze started on the roof of the convention center.

Around 9:30 p.m. on Dec. 1, the Raleigh Professional Firefighters Association said that they received several calls in reference to “smoke and flames” coming from the roof of the Raleigh Convention Center. The fire triggered a two-alarm response with several streets in the downtown area shut down as crews worked to extinguish the fire.

Fire crews said the blaze ran the entire length of the roof and took around 40 minutes to bring it under control.

The Raleigh Fire Division Chief, Preston Gaster, told CBS 17 that the fire appeared to have started from natural gas and a mechanical unit. No interior part of the convention center was damaged by the fire.

According to officials, no injuries were reported.