Downtown Sutton fire damages office building

An electrical fire in downtown Sutton ravaged an office building and caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage, officials said.

A little before 7 p.m. Friday, Sutton Fire Chief Chris Moore was handing out candy to trick-or-treaters at the fire station when someone came running in, saying there was a fire downtown.

About 30 firefighters from Sutton, Hastings, Clay Center and Grafton battled the fire at 211 N. Saunders Ave., Moore said. At its height, flames were seen shooting from the roof of the two-story building, which is owned by Abat Lerew, a construction contracting company. The space was being renovated, Moore said.

No one was there at the time, but the building is in the line of downtown businesses.

"It was pretty scary, actually," Moore said. But the firewalls held, and the fire didn't spread.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, he said. The fire was put out by 10 p.m., and caused an estimated $100,000 to $200,000 in damage.

The downtown Sutton area was fairly empty at the time of the fire, Moore said, because most people were at a high school football playoff game.

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Downtown Sutton fire damages office building