By Rachel Lippmann, St. Louis Public Radio
St. Louis – Investigators with the St. Louis Fire Department say an electrical malfunction is to blame for a three-alarm fire that forced the evacuation Friday morning of the building that houses the main offices of Laclede Gas.
Department spokesman Michael Pickett said an employee in the building at 720 Olive first called 911 around 8 a.m. Firefighters who responded found flames coming out of the 15th floor. The building was evacuated, and the fire went to three alarms before being brought under control around 9 a.m. Employees were allowed back in the building around 9:30 a.m.
One person was treated for smoke inhalation, Pickett said, but there were no other injuries. Broken glass from exploding windows littered the streets around the building, which were closed off, but operations at the MetroLink stop were not affected.