Blaze destroys historic mercantile in Mission

ST. IGNATIUS — At approximately 2 a.m. on Saturday morning, an otherwise peaceful night in St. Ignatius was punctuated by a roaring fire that destroyed a historic abandoned building.

Nobody was hurt, and the inferno did not inflict any damage on neighboring property. The hardy blaze even withstood the morning rain, as open flames still danced among the smoldering ruins into the following afternoon.

The leveled structure had been the former Beckwith Mercantile building, but had not housed an active business for 12 years and was currently being used for storage. Constructed about 110 years ago, the building was the second-oldest in St. Ignatius, and had once served as the community center.

As of Monday afternoon, St. Ignatius Fire Chief Martin Frazzini reported that the cause of the blaze is still under investigation, and there is not yet an estimate regarding the cost levied by the fire.