Columbia firefighters clear scene at warehouse fire along Huger Street

A fire broke out at a Huger Street warehouse early Wednesday morning forcing Columbia firefighters to extinguish the fire before it caused severe damage to the building.

Brick Lewis, a fire department spokesman, said firefighters were notified by dispatch of a structure fire at 4 a.m. at Huger Street after a Columbia police officer who was patrolling the area noticed heavy smoke and a glow coming from the building. The building is the home of Secret of the Islands, which produces a variety of lotions, bath and scrubbing salts.

Lewis said when firefighters arrived on scene there was heavy smoke coming from inside of the building, which took a while to ventilate before firefighters could determine if there was other fires in the building. He said some materials inside of the building were the main area of concentration for the fire.

Columbia police closed Huger Street between Blossom and Catawba streets to traffic and redirected traffic while the fire was extinguished. The roadway was reopened after firefighters cleared the scene at about 6:30 a.m.

Lewis said the business was closed at the time of the fire and there was no one inside of the structure, so no injuries were reported. The cause of the fire and the damage estimate are still being determined.

This story was originally published May 20, 2015 at 8:03 AM.