Fire destroys pet crematorium

Fire destroyed a building in Meridian early Monday morning. Fire officials say a passerby noticed the smoke and called 911 just after midnight, By the time crews arrived the building was fully engulfed and took about two hours to put out.

The fire completely destroyed Memorial Pet Care, a crematorium. No one was inside when the fire started. 
Firefighters say flames were shooting through the roof when they arrived. They sprayed water on all sides of the building to protect surrounding businesses. 

"This is what's called a defensive fire," said Meridian Fire Capt. Joe Bongiorno. "So they set up the truck and put the master streams on it and basically we didn't send anyone inside the building because it was too dangerous."

Early this morning, crews were still putting out hotspots and making sure the building is stable. They don't know what caused the fire but investigators will be on scene as soon as the sun comes up.