Lawrence warehouse sustains heavy damage in fire Wednesday

Firefighters battled a warehouse fire in Lawrence Wednesday morning.

Emergency crews responded to the motorcycle repair shop, located 46th Street and Franklin Road, around 1 a.m. Police said the fire caused 911 services to be rerouted.

The building sustained heavy damage and approximately 75 motorcycles were severely damaged in the blaze.  Parts of the building’s roof collapsed, causing nearby roadways to temporarily close.

Firefighters said as soon as crews went inside the building, conditions began to deteriorate.


“Initially they went inside and as soon as they got inside, the conditions deteriorated, so we declared it a defensive fire and pulled all the firefighters out of the building," said Chief Dino Batalis, Lawrence Fire Department.

The building is one of the oldest buildings in Lawrence.