An intense fire tore through a historic former school overnight.
By 6:30 p.m. flames could be seen soaring above the historic building and former location of the Doane Stuart School, located on Kenwood Road. Large flames were still ripping through the building at midnight.
A large black plume and orange glow could be seen for miles.
Fire crews spent hours fighting the raging inferno that burned throughout the night.
In 2009, Doane Stuart moved to their current location in Rensselaer, leaving the building vacant.
According to officials, the property was sold to Kenwood Commons LLC in 2017, where work was done on the building with the intent of condos and artist space.
We're told work on the property ended in 2019, which turned into a battle with codes to keep the building secured, covering over 100 windows and doors with plywood.
Code enforcement said that at the end of 2022, contractors were hired to clear and level brush around the property, over concerns that the building could not even be seen.
Mayor Sheehan appeared emotional at the end of the press conference, stating, "We lost a treasure here..."