Bozeman area emergency responders actively working fire at SOBO Lofts
Bozeman Fire Department and other responding agencies are currently on scene at an active fire of a under construction four story apartment building known as SOBO Lofts located on Babcock St between 7th and 8th avenues. At this point no injuries have been sustained by any emergency responders or civilians. The building is still on fire and emergency responders are actively working to extinguish it.
Roads are closed in the area. 7th Street is closed from Main Street to Olive Street. Babcock Street is closed from 6th avenue to 8th avenue. Members of the public are asked to stay away for their own safety as well as the safety of those responding. Due to the nature of the fire, work will continue throughout the day. Updates will be sent out as things change.
photo: Ken Thorsen
Background:
On the morning of February 14, 2019 at 12:19 AM a 911 call was received by the City-County 911 center concerning a fire. Crews were dispatched at 12:21 AM and arrived to the scene within minutes. The first emergency responder on scene was a Bozeman Police Officer who reported fire coming from the exterior of the building.
The first Bozeman Fire unit that arrived on scene identified that the building was under construction. Due to the large amount of fire the crew made the decision not to enter the building and chose to fight the fire from the exterior of the building. Because the building was determined to be under construction, to the best of the knowledge of the Fire Department the building was unoccupied.
Fire Departments immediately called to the scene included Bozeman Fire Department, Hyalite Fire Department, Central Valley Fire Department and Ft. Ellis Fire Department. Additional resources were requested and received from Bridger Canyon Fire Department, Gallatin Gateway Fire Department, and Manhattan Fire Department.
In addition to fire response, additional support was provide by Bozeman Police Department, Gallatin Sheriff’s Office, Montana State University Police Department, Bozeman Public Works, and Northwestern Energy. Local businesses also assisted first responders by opening their doors to provide coffee and refreshments.
Moving Forward:
Fire Department crews will remain on scene throughout the day continuing to extinguish hot spots. Law Enforcement will also remain in the area and some residential streets will be closed. Members of the public can expect to see smoke but should not be alarmed.
A coordinated effort between the Bozeman Police Department and Bozeman Fire Department will be investigating the fire. At this point there are no determinations that can be made about the cause of the fire.
A huge thank you is extended to all cooperating agencies for their quick response and good work. The Bozeman community is also thanked for their continuous support.
2/21/19 UPDATE
Work on the investigation into last Thursday’s fire at SOBO Lofts continues. Insurance companies are involved and due to the large scale of the fire the investigation will include the insurance investigators. At this point we have no information suggesting this was a criminally set fire and all involved parties are cooperating with the investigation. We haven’t taken any recent calls (this week) from the public but continue to encourage anyone with information to contact Detective Joe Swanson 582-2951
