Fire Destroys Vacant Mall in New York

A fire that ripped through the Midtown Mall in Binghamton, New York, destroying the long-vacant collection of buildings that was being converted to student housing.

Fire Chief Dan Thomas says the blaze was reported at about 9 p.m. Tuesday and firefighters were pulled out after finding heavy flames on the second floor.

Thomas tells the Binghamton Press and Sun-Bulletin that all the city’s firefighters — on duty and off — were called to the scene. Some were still working on pockets of fire at 1:30 a.m. Wednesday.

There were no reports of injuries. Two neighboring buildings were damaged by smoke and fire. The cause is under investigation.

The Midtown Mall was five connected buildings empty since 1981. Earlier this year, a developer began work on 55 units of student housing and 18,000 square feet of commercial space.