Fire collapses roof of Lawrence business

Building declared unsafe; it was demolished

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A fire in the cockloft of the Precision Auto Body building at 691 Burnside Ave., in Lawrence resulted in the roof collapsing, but no one was injured, according to fire officials.
The blaze began before noon on Nov. 20, fire officials said. A cockloft is a small space created when the roof is raised above the level of the flat beams to provide a pitch to drain rain and a vented air space to reduce top-floor temperatures.
The Lawrence-Cedarhurst, Hewlett, Inwood, Meadowmere Park and Woodmere fire departments responded to the scene. The fire was declared under control at 12:50 p.m., fire officials said.