Austin pawn shop goes up in flames overnight

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A pawn shop in north Austin went up in flames overnight Wednesday into Thursday morning, prompting a defensive response from the Austin Fire Department.

AFD posted on X shortly after 2 a.m. that firefighters were on the scene of a structure fire at 805 E. Rundberg lane with “heavy fire inside.” That is the address of Action Pawn.

Wayne Parrish with AFD said when firefighters arrived on the scene they tried to enter the building but couldn’t locate the fire itself because the smoke was too thick, so everyone pulled out and started defensive operations until they could see the flame itself.

There was also a challenge accessing the inside of the building because of the security due to it being a pawn shop, Parrish said.

Ultimately firefighters stayed out of the building because there was a risk of collapse and they kept attacking the fire from outside.

He also said many fire hydrants close by were out of service, likely because of road construction, so AFD called in additional units to look for working hydrants to lay water lines to the scene.

AFD also posted on X that crews set up a command post with a combination of old-school and new-school technology, using aerial drones, digital site maps, and whiteboards to control the scene and keep count of action.

AFD said no one was hurt.

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