LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Firefighters are investigating the massive fire that destroyed a warehouse in Louisville's Smoketown neighborhood.

Monday afternoon, flames and smoke rolled from the four story structure, and firefighters were ordered to pull back just 20 minutes before part of the building collapsed at Jackson and Caldwell Streets.

Louisville Fire Major Bobby Cooper said it could take a while before a cause is determined, partly because it's not safe for people to walk through the debris at this point. He noted out that training for firefighters focuses on scenarios like this one.

Cooper said this past December, one the of the fire companies in the area wrote up a "Dangerous Locations Form" on the building. He said they noticed sagging beams and support systems. Cooper said the Fire Prevention Bureau was working with Wayside Christian Mission, which owns the building, about needed repairs.

Because of that report, Cooper said fire crews were armed with information from computer records to help make decisions on how to approach this fire and keep everyone safe.

"When they see our firefighters in the neighborhoods, beyond a fire scene, when fires aren't burning, when car wrecks aren't happening, when emergency medical incidents aren't happening, they're out doing that fire preventative work and that work to keep the entire community safe and it worked out yesterday in a way that more than likely saved the lives of our firefighters," Cooper said.

The call about the fire came in at 4:22 p.m. Monday, and firefighters arrived within two minutes. Fire crews remained on the scene Tuesday to put out hot spots and monitor the building.

Cooper said the only injury reported was one firefighter who cut his hand. The firefighter was treated and released from the hospital.

Wayside Christian Mission has owned the building for about eight years. It was used as storage for things like furniture, office supplies and kitchen equipment.

"It was such a blessing to have this building because we could accept large donations of items we would need and have them ready at hand to move in and out of the shelter and the hotel as needed. It was just so convenient," said Nina Moseley, Wayside's Chief Operating Officer. 

Moseley said they've had problems with people breaking into the building in the past. She said someone broke in as recently as Friday. 

Moseley said there was evidence of someone sleeping on a pallet inside and of drug use, but Louisville Fire does not believe anyone was inside at the time of the fire. 

"We do have reports from neighbors and from Wayside as well that they had some homeless that were coming in and out of the building at times, but we had no reports of that from yesterday," said Cooper.

Moseley said as soon as she heard about the fire Monday, she came to see what was going on. She said she stayed for hours, watching the building fall apart.

"It was horrible and you know, you would hear, like when the roof collapsed and flames came up outside, and then when the walls collapsed and you would hear all that, and it's just hard to wrap our minds around it right now, but we are grateful no one was hurt," she said. 

The building next to the warehouse houses an organization called Loaves and Fishes, Inc. Executive Director Curtis Taylor said the roof was damaged and there is smoke and water damage inside. His van was also nearly flattened and destroyed.

Taylor said his organization, which feeds and clothes people in the area, will probably be down for a while. 

"It has a tremendous impact on the people that I serve in this community, for various reasons," he said. "We get a pretty large crowd of people that come out and depend on our services."

Joseph Grove lives nearby and said it was heartbreaking to see how intense the fire became. He stopped by Tuesday to see the damage.

"I looked out my window and saw this mushroom cloud of smoke with the flames shooting even over the trees so I knew it had to be big," Grove said. "It's just, it's sad and shocking to see yet another piece of Smoketown history reabsorbed into the earth like this."

Cooper said the cause to determine exactly what started the fire will likely be a lengthy investigation.

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