The Austin Fire Department worked to put out hotspots Sunday night into early Monday morning.

AUSTIN, Texas — A large fire is under control after it sparked at an abandoned building near Interstate 35 in Austin Sunday evening.

As of early Monday morning, the Austin Fire Department (AFD) was putting out hotspots and Austin Energy was replacing power poles after two abandoned buildings caught fire. 

Austin Fire Division Chief Eddie Martinez said the department got a call reporting the fire just after 6 p.m. Sunday. According to Austin-Travis County EMS (ATCEMS), the fire began at an abandoned Rodeway Inn motel in the 2900 block of the North Interstate 35 frontage road, near Dean Keeton Street and across from St. David’s Medical Center. 

The units arrived on scene to find fire coming out of every window and door of the structure. The fire also burned an abandoned Ethiopian restaurant next door.

More than 60 firefighters responded to the scene, and it took crews 40 to 45 minutes to get the fire under control. No one was evacuated. 

According to ATCEMS, no civilian injuries have been reported. However, one firefighter suffered from heat-related injuries. The Austin Fire Department said that electricity in the area was shut off temporarily by Austin Energy due to flame heights, but power was restored Sunday evening.

KVUE spoke to a resident who lives close by, who was driving back to Austin when he saw the smoke from 15 miles away. 

“I was freaking out. I had a friend that actually texted me and sent me a photo and said, ‘Hey, I heard there was a fire by your place,’ and I wasn’t home yet,” Blake Helle said. “And then I got a text from the city of Austin saying my power was out, so then when I got back, I noticed it wasn’t at my place.”

It’s currently unclear what caused the fire, but arson investigators are on scene.

One lane of the I-35 frontage road remains closed as of 4:30 a.m. Monday due to the fire trucks and hoses that are in place. Crews have remained in place throughout the night to monitor the scene.