Firefighters extinguish abandoned building fire near GRACE Marketplace

Press release from Gainesville Fire Rescue

Response units from Gainesville Fire Rescue, Gainesville Police Department, and Alachua County Fire Rescue responded in the early morning hours of Saturday, Jan. 16, to a structure fire at 3500 NE 28th Dr.

The building was one of many structures between GRACE Marketplace and Tacachale known to house a transient population. Gainesville Fire Rescue used a transitional fire attack and was able to contain the fire to only one building while confirming no one was inside. Incident Commander Sean Campbell said combating the fire was more difficult than normal due to the limited access into the area, distance of the abandoned structure to fire hydrants, and hazards on scene such as open septic tanks that firefighters had to avoid while moving around the structure.

No occupants were found inside the building, and no firefighters were injured during the fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation.