Working Incident 1102 North Broadway Avenue
On October 2, 2026, just before 6 p.m., the Urbana Fire Department was dispatched to the old Washington School building located at 1102 North Broadway Avenue for a report of a structure fire. Engine 251, responding from Station 1 on Vine Street, arrived on scene of a large building with dark smoke coming from the second floor and began investigating inside the building. The building was known to be vacant.
Engine 251 crew entered the building and began to search for fire and occupants. Crews encountered smoke and little to no heat on the first and second floor.
Battalion Chief C220 arrived on scene and established command. C220 directed Ladder 261 to use the aerial ladder to check roof conditions. C220 directed other units to enter and assist with searching the floors and basement. Crews located a smoldering fire in the center of the building and extinguished the fire.
Approximately 20 Urbana Fire Department personnel responded to the scene along with Arrow Ambulance and Urbana Police. Firefighters performed fire suppression operations, established water supply, searched the building for occupants, and ventilated the building. The fire was brought under control within approximately 25 minutes of arrival. Crews remained on scene for about one and a half hours conducting overhaul operations.
The Urbana Fire Department Investigation Team conducted an initial investigation, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation at this time. There were no firefighter or civilian injuries during this incident.