PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — An early morning fire destroys Allied Iron & Steel’s office building in Peoria.

The fire broke out around 3:45 A.M. Tuesday. The building is on Clark Street, off SW Washington St., near I-474.

Battalion Chief Steve Rada said a person driving by on Route 29 reported a large fire from the road. Crews arrived to find that part of the roof collapsed, and several walls were in danger of collapsing. Besides hand lines, firefighters used an aerial truck to put over 1000 gallons per minute on the flames.

It took well over an hour to get the fire under control. The collapsed roof made it difficult to get water where it needed to go. Crews were able to fight the fire from outside the building.

No one was in the office when the fire broke out.

Fire investigators are working to find the cause of the fire. Damage is estimated at $500,000. The building is deemed to be a total loss.