ELYRIA, Ohio – A raging fire at a warehouse has led authorities to evacuate a four-block area of nearby homes in Elyria (eh-LEER'-ee-uh), Ohio, 23 miles west of Cleveland.
The fire reported just after 1:30 a.m. Thursday sent flames shooting hundreds of feet into the air at the former General Industries building and caused three-story sections of wall to crumble.
Spokesman Cliff Barnes at the Lorain County emergency operations center says no injuries have been reported.
He says the evacuation was prompted by concern that the fire might spread, and also by uncertainty about chemicals that may have been contained in the building.
Twenty-five residents of the surrounding neighborhood took shelter at Eastern Heights Elementary School.
