Fire guts historic westside building

A fast-moving three-alarm fire ripped through the vacant Imperial Brewery building late Thursday, causing extensive damage.

The fire was reported at the building, at Interstate 35 and Southwest Boulevard, just before midnight. Several fire units, including several from Kansas City, Kan., were summoned to help.

The cause of the fire has not been determined. The building, just east of the I-35 Cambridge Circle exit, has been unoccupied for nearly 30 years. The structure was last brewery built in Kansas City before prohibition.

Investors recently announced converting the building into office space.

| Glenn E. Rice, The Star