Amarillo crews battle fire at S Washington commercial building

Three firefighters were safely evacuated after becoming disoriented in a burning building while fighting a major fire over the weekend, officials said.

Crews with the Amarillo Fire Department responded to reports of a commercial building on fire at 4014 S. Washington St. about 9:27 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 6. Firefighters arriving to the scene saw heavy smoke coming from the eaves and rear corner of the vacant single-story convenience store.

AFD said crews initiated an interior fire attack, forcing entry through a secured door. "While advancing inside under high heat and zero visibility, firefighters became disoriented and a Mayday was declared for three lost firefighters. The Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) was immediately deployed and successfully located and escorted all personnel to safety