Fire significantly damages new Blackman Township business under construction

BLACKMAN TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WILX) - A building under construction, expected to open this summer, was significantly damaged in a fire Thursday afternoon.

It happened in Blackman Township at about 1:30 p.m. at a building near the intersection of West Ganson and North Brown streets.

According to the Blackman-Leoni Department of Public Safety, fire crews arrived to find the building with smoke and flames coming from the roof. Three workers who were inside the building were alerted to the fire by a passerby who saw the smoke and yelled inside. The workers were able to evacuate safely.

Authorities said fire crews attempted to extinguish the fire from inside but had to use arial streams when the roof collapsed. The fire appears to have started in the rear northeast corner of the structure where a furnace was located, but the incident is still under investigation.

No injuries were reported.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation. The building, which was set to open as a new business called Leaf & Barrel, sustained significant damage.

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