Firefighters extinguish fire at abandoned building in Salinas

SALINAS, Calif. (KION-TV) -- Multiple fire engines responded to a structure fire at an abandoned building along Sanborn Place in Salinas early Wednesday morning.

When firefighters arrived a significant amount of flames and smoke were coming out of the building.

Some witnesses told fire crews they believed people were inside the burning building, resulting in an even larger response.

"We did have difficulties making forcible entry," said Salinas Fire Battalion Chief Cary Lesch. "This building is boarded up because it's unoccupied so we had to take a little time to take off the plywood."

After that, crews were able to knock down the fire pretty quickly, according to Lesch.

He adds that no one was inside the building once the fire was put out and there were no injuries to crew members or civilians.

Lesch says the agency has responded to multiple warming fire calls over the last few weeks as temperatures remain low overnight.