Fire destroys building under construction in St. Paul

ST. PAUL, Minn.- Firefighters fought a massive blaze in downtown St. Paul that engulfed a building that was under construction.

The building is the Seven Corners Gateway site, a $69-million apartment building and hotel complex located across from the Xcel Energy Center.

The fire started around 4 a.m. Tuesday. Before daybreak, flames shot into the sky several hundred feet, leaving a plume of dark smoke that could be seen from weather radar.

Debris and bits of charred building material covered the ground near the construction site. At one point, the heat was so intense it melted nearby traffic lights.

There are no reports of injuries and there was no immediate word about the possible cause of the fire.