Fire breaks out at former San Juan Star building
Firetrucks arrived at the former San Juan Star building Monday morning.
The former San Juan Star building on Kennedy Avenue caught fire Monday, requiring the presence of a contingent of firefighters to put out the blaze.
The building, which until August 2008 housed the island’s only Pulitzer Prize-winning English-language daily, is virtually empty now except for a scant few staff who operate the printing press being used for other publications.
According to Police, the staff was working on a breaker box behind the building, which set off a short circuit that provoked Monday morning’s fire, which affected both floors of the structure. No injuries were reported.
However, as a result, a part of the building burned down completely and others were affected by the smoke and water. The fire was put out in about an hour.
Star Media Network, a subsidiary of San Juan Star Inc., owned by publisher Gerardo Angulo, published the now-defunct San Juan Star. The newspaper closed nearly three years ago after years of mounting financial problems.
While there were no loss estimates provided Monday, it is believed that the newspaper’s historic 50-year archive comprising thousands of photos and coverage of Puerto Rico’s breaking news stories are still in the windowless building.
