Fire causes damage at former Parks College site

Five fire departments responded to a fire at the site of the former Parks College in Cahokia on Saturday afternoon.

The Cahokia Fire Department received a call that there was a fire behind the Cahokia Fitness Center at 509 Camp Jackson Road, said Fire Chief Stephen Robbins.

When firefighters arrived, Robbins said they saw heavy fire in a room on the first floor. Prairie Du Pont, Camp Jackson, Sauget, Dupo and Cahokia Fire Departments arrived on scene and got the fire under control before it spread to the upper two stories.

The building, which served as a dorm for Parks College, had heavy smoke damage. There was no electrical service to the building. Robbins said the cause of the fire had not yet been determined.

“We will call the state fire marshals to determine a cause, if necessary,” Robbins said.

This story was originally published February 13, 2016 at 3:45 PM with the headline "Fire causes damage at former Parks College site."