Friday, January 6, 2012

Topeka Fire officials said late Thursday that the fire that engulfed the former WIBW-TV and Radio building was intentionally set.

The fire was discovered just before 5 pm at the building. By 7:30 pm, firefighters were still finding areas of flames inside the building.

Flames could be seen shooting from the roof of the structure and thick black smoke could be seen from miles away. The Topeka Fire Department aerial truck was among several units trying to get an upper hand on the flames.

Topeka fire officials said they were largely in defensive mode, keeping the flames from spreading to the grassy areas surrounding the building. One challenge was water - they had to truck it in because no hydrants were near enough to hook on.

WIBW-TV aired its first broadcast from the building when it went on the air Nov. 15, 1953. WIBW-AM joined them there a few years later, when the TV and radio operations were purchased by Stauffer Communications.

Despite an ownership change in the mid-1990s that split the television and radio operations, both entities continued working from the building until 2001, when WIBW-AM-FM moved to a new building on Huntoon Hill and WIBW-TV built a new studio down the hill from the Menninger location, at Commerce Place.

CoreFirst Bank and Trust purchased the former WIBW property but was not currently doing anything at the location.