City Hall catches fire in small Arizona town of Bisbee

PHOENIX — A blaze tore through Bisbee City Hall in southern Arizona early Wednesday, put out only after crews from eight fire departments fought together.

There were no injuries but there was serious damage to the building.

The Cochise County Sheriff’s Office said Bisbee Fire, along with firefighters from Douglas, Naco, Palominas, San Jose, Sierra Vista, Sunnyside and Whetstone departments battled the 1 a.m. burn.

Six hours later the firefighters were still putting out the fire.

Smoke hung in the air for hours afterward and authorities were discouraging traffic around the area.

The sheriff’s office posted on Facebook that the efforts impacted water pressure in Bisbee and that some residents reported having very little or no water.

KVOA-TV in Tucson reported the offices were empty when the fire started and that Mayor David Smith was out of the country until Thursday.

City hall employees will be working out of Bisbee Middle School, which closed in 2015.

Bisbee is about 90 miles south Tucson. The former mining town has earned praise as the country’s best historic small town and best small town.

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