Vacant commercial building bursts into flames in Campbell

CAMPBELL, Calif. - Firefighters responded to a structure fire in Campbell Friday morning, authorities said. More than five hours later the unoccupied space continues to burn. 

Authorities said the fire erupted around 10:07 a.m. at a three-story vacant commercial structure in the area of Dell Avenue and Knowles Drive.

Fire officials said crews had to resort to defensive operations to try and control the blaze.

"This fire will continue to burn for some time, and smoke will continue to affect the immediate area and be visible throughout the Bay Area," said Fire Captain Justin Stockman.

Fire crews training nearby were on scene within minutes and made an aggressive initial effort to stop the flames; quickly searching the massive 50,000 square foot building and determining it was empty.

"We didn't have any civilians at risk we don't want to put our firefighters at risk, but we also need to contain this to keep the public safe," said Acting Chief Brian Glass from Santa Clara County Fire Department.

Through the evening, firefighters worked to contain the fire to one building, so that flames wouldn't spread to nearby structures.

Fire officials say part of the reason the building was engulfed so quickly was because the building was vacant and set for demolition, the water lines had been turned off, so that meant no internal sprinklers.