A vacant commercial building on 3rd Street NE was heavily damaged in an early-morning fire Monday, according to the Canton Fire Department.
Fire crews were dispatched at 5:36 a.m. to 223 3rd St. NE and arrived to find heavy fire coming from the rear and side of the single-story structure. Flames were impinging on buildings on both sides — one vacant and the other occupied by Stark County Regional Planning.
Firefighters were able to control the blaze before it spread, but structural damage forced the department to call in a wrecking crew to assist with extinguishment. Both the building that burned and the property next to it, 227 3rd St. NE, will be razed, officials said. Both structures are owned by Steve Coon.
A homeless man was at the scene when firefighters arrived, but the cause and origin of the fire remain under investigation.
No civilian or firefighter injuries were reported.
The fire caused an estimated $80,300 in structural damage. Contents inside the building were valued at $0, according to the department.
