Brief fire causes evacuation but no injuries at historic Detroit college building

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CORRECTS BYLINE TO JOHN GROVER, NOT COREY WILLIAMS - In this photo provided by the Detroit Fire Department, firefighters work to extinguish a fire at the Maccabees Building on the Wayne State University campus in Detroit on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (John Grover/Detroit Fire Department via AP)

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1:08 PM on Wednesday, April 1

The Associated Press

DETROIT (AP) — A fire on Wednesday caused the evacuation of a historic building owned by Wayne State University in Detroit.

Video from TV stations showed thick rolling clouds of black smoke near the top of the 14-story Maccabees Building, a nearly century-old building designed by Albert Kahn, along Woodward Avenue, just north of downtown.

The fire on the 11th floor was contained, Wayne State said on social media, and no injuries were reported. Authorities said it likely began in the heating and cooling system.

Wayne State has owned the building for more than 20 years and has offices there, including the Computer Science Department and African American Studies. But it is not generally known as a place for classes.

The Maccabees was the home of early radio and TV studios, including radio broadcasts of “The Lone Ranger,” starting in the 1930s, and “The Green Hornet.”