Blaze Tears Through St. Louis Museum Of Rare Documents

A massive fire broke out in a museum of rare manuscripts in St. Louis, provoking fears over the fate of its priceless documents, officials and media said on Wednesday, although the extent of the losses was not immediately clear. About 80 firefighters worked for two hours to douse Tuesday’s blaze at the Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum, the fire department said on social network Twitter. No injuries were reported, although media said the second floor of the 100-year-old, 3-story brick building collapsed during the fire, the cause of which is being investigated. As the four-alarm fire burned, firefighters scrambled to haul out boxes, statues and other artifacts, the St. Louis Dispatch newspaper said. “They knew it was a museum,” it quoted Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson as saying. “It’s like, ‘Don’t leave empty-handed. Grab something and get it out of here.’”