UPDATE: The El Paso Fire Department has provided an update, stating that “The fire has been determined to be the unintentional acts of a person or persons associated with the common methods of building construction. The fire was classified as unintentional.”
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — A fire at the Downtown construction site for the new children’s museum, La Nube, has been knocked down, according to the El Paso Fire Department.
Construction material on the roof caught fire, according to fire officials. Now, firefighters are looking for hot spots. Investigators are still working to determine the exact cause of the fire.
The El Paso Community Foundation, which is in charge of the project, says the likely opening date will now be delayed from fall 2023 to winter 2024.
No injuries have been reported. The fire, at Santa Fe and Main, was initially called in around 2:30 p.m. and was described as a Condition 3, which means flames and smoke were clearly visible.
Motorists are told to expect streets around the fire site to be closed and to seek alternate routes.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, local fire departments around the country respond to about 4,300 construction site fires each year. Cooking equipment is the leading cause of fires on construction sites, according to the group.
