The cause of a July 4 fire at the Frontier building in downtown Hartford, 111 Trumbull St., remains under investigation, a fire official said Friday.
The fire began around 3 p.m. in a ground-level storage unit, according to Mario Oquendo Jr., district chief and public information officer for Hartford Fire Department.
The fire produced heavy smoke, but was knocked down quickly, he said.
The extent of damage was unclear. A company spokesperson did not immediately respond to questions Friday morning.
The concrete high-rise structure is owned by Frontier’s predecessor, Southern New England Telephone Co. The building was empty at the time of the fire, Oquendo said.
The Fire Marshal’s Office is working to determine the cause of the blaze.Â
The fire occurred two days before the 79th anniversary of the infamous Hartford circus fire. On July 7, 1944, at least 167 people were killed and more than 700 were injured after the highly flammable paraffin wax waterproofing of the circus tent caught fire. It is considered one of the worst fire disasters in U.S. history. The cause was never determined.
