“The fire condition quickly changed and the interior environment became untenable even for firefighters,” Schilling said. The crews were evacuated. They took up positions outside and continued to fight the blaze with the help of a water cannon mounted on a fire truck.

“This was the first one we’ve had were we had to use defensive tactics,” Schilling said.

As flames continued to tear through the building’s roof, the department brought its aerial truck, which blasted the fire from above. During the fight the front overhangs and the roof collapsed.

The fire was under control in about 90 minutes, Schilling said.

Firefighters doused Gingers Pub on West 22nd Street to keep the flames from spreading. The two businesses are separated by a narrow alley. While Gingers didn’t catch fire, the business did take some smoke and water damage, Schilling said.

“Smoke travels around water and gets into every nook and cranny you can think of,” Schilling said. He estimated the department dumped 200,000 gallons of water on the fire.

Denton’s landlord, Youri Dimitrov, said his basement was flooding.

Schilling said the fire department will now begin an investigation into the fire’s cause.

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