Abandoned Nampa Mercy Hospital consumed by fire overnight

It took crews roughly 12 hours to mop up the fire that gutted the abandoned Mercy Hospital in Nampa Saturday morning, according to Nampa Capt. Jed Simpson.

The three-alarm fire was reported to Nampa Dispatch around 3:10 a.m. Saturday.

Several local fire agencies responded to the scene at 1615 Eighth Street South, including Nampa, Caldwell, Meridian, Middleton, Boise and Deer Flat fire departments, said Nampa Fire Dep. Chief Richard Davies.

Because of the size of the building and the intensity of the fire, it took several hours to quell the blaze, Simpson said.

“It was a long, time-consuming incident because of the building’s size, condition and fire involvement,” he said.

Nobody was reportedly hospitalized, according to dispatch. Though crews haven’t been able to search every nook and cranny of the structure, Simpson said firefighters were confident no one got seriously hurt. A few firefighters suffered only minor injuries, he said.

It’s unclear whether the building can be restored. The brick walls still stand, but there’s been extensive damage, he said.

“The roof burned off probably 60 percent of the building,” Simpson said. “It's up to the engineers to declare its salvageability.”

The cause of the fire is still unknown and investigators won’t be able to get on scene until Monday, Simpson said.

This story was originally published January 2, 2016 at 12:10 PM with the headline "Abandoned Nampa Mercy Hospital consumed by fire overnight."