St. Joseph firefighters battle large structure fire at S. 15th and Olive Streets

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV)--  The St. Joseph Fire Department responded to a large structure fire on 15th and Olive Street Wednesday morning.

Crews responded to the fire shortly after 4 a.m. and remained on the scene until about 6 a.m. The building was abandoned and no injuries were reported.

The building was formerly utilized as a church and was being torn down a day prior to the fire.

An SJFD Battalion Chief said the fire required a larger response than crews typically see for a structure fire.

"Due to a collapse in the back and roof coming down, we're going to be probably coming back periodically to dig out hot spots on this structure," Jeff Werner said.

So far, SJFD has returned to the scene three times since 7:30 a.m. Wednesday to put out any small fires. Additionally, the department said it will continue to monitor the scene for any other fires over the next couple of days.

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

KQ2 will provide more updates as they become available.