Fire Erupts At Old 'Chicago Sun-Times' Building

By: Mark Fitzgerald A three-alarm fire broke out at the old Chicago Sun-Times building Wednesday morning, closing streets and drawing 125 firefighters to the blaze. No injuries were reported.

Firefighters responded to an alarm at 9:15 and the fire was struck at 10:24 a.m., the Chicago Fire Department said.

The newspaper moved from the building on the Chicago riverfront last October. The squat, seven-story building has been sold to developer Donald Trump, who plans to tear it down and replace it with a 90-story building of luxury condominiums and a hotel. The Sun-Times' offices are now in rented space several blocks west of the building, which was constructed in 1958.

On local television news programs at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Chicago Fire Commissioner Cortez Trotter said a cause of the fire had not yet been determined. He said the "seat" of the fire was on the fifth floor, but insulation in ventilation ductwork spread smoke throughout the building.

Several streets were closed around the building at 401 N. Wabash St.

Construction crews were reportedly inside the building at the time the fire started, but there were no reported injuries. It is not clear if the blaze will delay demolition of the building. In November, Trump presided over a ceremonial start of the teardown, which is scheduled to begin in earnest this spring.