Former Winona YWCA damaged by fire
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A fire in downtown Winona Thursday morning destroyed the city's old YWCA building, a historic structure built in 1912. There were no injuries and no immediate signs of arson or suspicious activity, fire officials said.
The building was home to KidsSport, a popular gymnastics center. The fire started around 11 a.m., a few hours after students and coaches wrapped up an early morning training session.
No one was in the building at the time, according to the gymnastic center's owner, Rob Murray.
Earlier today, Murray stood outside the brick building as fire crews on aerial ladders poured water into the structure to calm the blaze. The brick building was fully engulfed by noon.
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"What's left is just about two feet of the roof, of the overhang and the facade of the old brick structure," he said. "Our blue awning is still up and all the windows are blown out on our office side, so it's pretty black."
Murray estimates about a third of the training equipment, office furniture and other supplies were lost in the fire, and guesses losses will run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. A fire door between the historic building and a newer gymnasium may have helped keep the fire from spreading to the larger side of the training facility, Murray said.
Fire crews from the cities of Winona, St. Charles, Goodview, Wilson Township and Winona County responded to the blaze, closing off several downtown blocks for about three hours.
The age of the building made fighting the blaze more difficult, said Winona Fire Captain Joel Corcoran.
The State Fire Marshal's office will help investigate the incident to help determine the cause of the fire.
The incident is the second in Winona's historic downtown area in recent memory. Just a few blocks away, a fire last year destroyed the city's Islamic Center, a law firm and a popular coffee shop.
