INDEPENDENCE, MO (KCTV) -
The two-alarm fire that gutted a vacant school in Independence is bringing up new concerns for neighbors.
Crews responded about 7:30 a.m. Sunday to the former Anderson Elementary School at 9701 E. 35th St. and reported heavy smoke extending from the roof.
The fire had been burning for some time prior to the first arriving units, firefighters said.
Crews on the scene began an aggressive offensive fire attack. Firefighters began a defensive mode after the heavy fire inside the building, along with water supply challenges.
The school has been empty for more than a decade, and those who live nearby are upset that nothing has been done to the building, calling it an eyesore.
As firefighters waged an all-day battle to keep the flames under control, former students and staff stopped by, reliving memories and mourning the loss of a piece of their history.
"It's a terrible feeling, it is kind of like losing a member of your family," former school secretary Carol Mays said.
"It's sad, real sad, and I'll miss it," former student Sharon Kelley said.
Others in the neighborhood are hoping the destruction the flames caused will speed progress toward redeveloping the site.
"I think it would be nice if they could do a retirement home, or even a new school," neighbor Alicia Cameron said.
There are plans to build a retirement home. The developer says the fire has not derailed that idea, and it is still in the works.
"I certainly wouldn't want to see it stay like that, because that would be detrimental to the whole community here," Mays said.
Neighbors have watched the building stand vacant for around a decade, changing hands along the way from the Kansas City, MO, to Independence school districts, to the developer who owns it now.
And now that neighbors have seen the hazards the huge vacant building can cause, demands for change are growing louder.
One firefighter was transported to Centerpoint Hospital for evaluation. His condition is unknown at this time.
No other injuries were reported, and no other structures were effected by the fire. The fire is still under investigation.
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