Crews searching for missing person following five-alarm fire in downtown St. Louis

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - Multiple buildings caught fire overnight last Friday, with firefighters continuing to battle flames hours after the initial call.

Fire Chief Jenkerson with the St. Louis Fire Department told First Alert 4 on Tuesday that crews are now searching for an unhoused person who was reported missing.

After conducting interviews, looking through cameras and droning the area, the fire department entered with an excavator.

On Wednesday, the St. Louis Regional Bomb and Arson Unit took the lead in the investigation.

The initial report of the fire was around 2:30 a.m. Friday, with the fire originating at abandoned warehouses at the intersection of Gratiot and 2nd in downtown St. Louis.

Chief Jenkerson said this is considered a 5 Alarm Fire, and that four buildings caught fire, with one of them collapsing.

The buildings are part of the Crunden Martin warehouse and factory system, with the heavy-duty nature of the factories contributing to the fire, said Chief Jenkerson.

At one point, the flames were reaching between 200 and 300 feet tall, said Chief Jenkerson.

The Crunden Martin warehouses were slated to be part of a riverfront revitalization project fronted by Good Developments Group (GDG). Greg Gleicher, Founder and CEO of GDG, issued a statement in light of the fire.

Early this morning, a significant fire broke out at the historic Crunden Martin complex and another historic building across Gratiot Street. Our first concern is the safety of everyone on and around the site, and we are deeply grateful to the St. Louis Fire Department and all first responders who have been working for hours to contain the fire and protect neighboring properties. These buildings have stood for generations as part of St. Louis’s riverfront industrial heritage, and seeing this damage is deeply saddening. We do not yet know what happened and will wait until the emergency response has concluded and officials are able to provide more information. For us, Crunden Martin was not only a cornerstone of our Gateway South vision but also a symbol of the city’s ability to reinvent and reuse its historic fabric, and while it is too early to know the full extent of the damage or the long-term implications for the project, our commitment to this area and to St. Louis has not changed.

The fire was believed to burn until at least Sunday, due to the nature of the factory materials.

“There’s a lot of combustible products in these buildings,” said Chief Jenkerson. “All the floors, and all the old timber - it’s going to burn awhile.”

Wind has also played a role in this fire, with embers blowing eastwards, catching nearby electric lines and railroad tracks on fire. The fire chief said some people may be without electricity because of this, but as the fire becomes more contained, the Fire Department will contact Ameren to reconnect lines that were damaged.

Over 200 firefighters responded to the fire.

Chief Jenkerson said that a primary concern in fires is exposure to surrounding buildings, and with this fire, a nearby chemical company was at risk.

The fire department reported that several people were rescued from the buildings. They are believed to be unhoused individuals living in these abandoned warehouses.