Fire continues at collapsed Butte warehouse

BUTTE (AP) – A fire continued burning Tuesday at a Butte warehouse that partially collapsed last June.

Butte-Silver Bow County and building owner Neil “Joe” Lynch Jr. have been in a dispute over what caused the collapse and what should be done about it. The county wanted to demolish the rest of the five-story building and require Lynch to pay for it.

Firefighters began spraying water on the rubble Friday after seeing smoke. An excavator removed debris on Friday afternoon, but crews were unable to reach the location of the fire.

The fire flared up early Sunday causing other walls to collapse and spill bricks into the street. The building was gutted further, but the fire smoldered Monday and flared up again Tuesday.

Fire Chief Jeff Miller wants to demolish the rest of the building.