Fire ravages historic building in Des Moines

DES MOINES, Iowa -- A 115-year-old downtown Des Moines building that housed an iconic department store for decades caught fire early Saturday, and large portions of the structure collapsed.

It appeared that nobody was injured.

Fire officials said the first call on the fire was at 12:52 a.m. CDT Saturday. Arriving firefighters found the upper two floors of the building engulfed in flames.

"Within minutes of our arrival, we had structural failure internally," Des Moines Fire Department spokesman Brian O'Keefe said.

A second alarm was called in, and as soon as the incident commander arrived he called a third alarm -- a rare occurrence in Des Moines, O'Keefe said.

As the flames began to diminish, firefighters concentrated on protecting adjacent properties.

At 6:30 a.m., downtown Des Moines reeked of smoke. Fire trucks and other emergency vehicles filled the area.

The blaze appeared to be under control, but fire crews were still pouring huge streams of water on the fire from all directions

At 10:50 a.m., the fire was contained to the lower levels of the building, but firefighters weren't able to get inside the building, O'Keefe said.

"Due to the structural integrity, we can't make interior attack," O'Keefe said.

The building, which once house the Younkers department store, has stood in downtown Des Moines for more than 100 years.

It was renowned for its elegant Tea Room, which featured oak tables and chintz draperies. The Tea Room hosted a who's who of Des Moines inside the anchor of a vibrant downtown shopping scene.

In 1939, a modernization program included installation of the first "electric stairs," or escalators, in Iowa. Thousands turned out to try the new invention.

But the Younkers store, the Tea Room and downtown retail suffered a gradual decline over the past quarter century or more as malls lured shoppers to the suburbs.

The building closed in August 2005 and sat vacant until the Alexander Co. of Madison, Wis., began a renovation last September, including a new name: the Flagship Building.

The building has 230,000 square feet of space. The company planned to convert it into 120 apartments reserved for lower-income tenants along with two floors of retail space. The Tea Room was to be reopened as well.

Although the severity of the blaze Saturday was apparent, O'Keefe said it was too early to say whether the building was a total loss.

Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie was one of the onlookers watching crews still work on the Younkers building at about 8:30 a.m. Saturday.

"It's such a shame to lose a landmark of this city," Cownie said.

Contributing: Annah Backstrom of The Des Moines Register