A three-story building that stood for more than a century in downtown Laurel was being taken down Wednesday afternoon following an early morning fire that damaged the brick structure beyond repair.
No injuries were reported, and the State Fire Marshal's Office continues to investigate the blaze that destroyed the 113-year-old building located at 130 E. Market St.
Martin Torbert, who was staying at his girlfriend's place, said he walked out to smoke when he noticed what he thought was a thick fog. The Seaford resident then realized the fog was, in fact, smoke from the fire.
"The whole building was just engulfed in smoke," he told Delaware Online/The News Journal. "You can hear the window panes cracking from the heat, and as soon as those window panes came out, it was an inferno."