Building explodes, causes massive north end fire

A building exploded in flames at Hill Rd. & 36th Street at about 8:45 p.m. Thursday night.

Crews arrived to find an office building fully engulfed in flames. Within an hour, crews began to get the fire under control, but hot spots continued to flare up until about 10 p.m.

Firefighters climbed up on the roof of the building with chainsaws to open holes in the top of the structure to gain access to the interior.

The office building is on the north side of Hill Road, very near Hillside Junior High. It is the former home of Hill House restaurant. The building was last used as an accounting office, and was undergoing renovation.

One witness was decorating his home when he heard the explosion, and felt his house "rumble" from the impact.

"We heard the sirens coming down the road about 8:45 as we were getting the kids ready for bed, so we stepped outside and the whole sky was glowing," witness Matt Briggs said. "We got down here, and the flames were probably about four feet off the top of the building."

One man was seen leaving the building shortly after the fire, and police say he is connected with the office building in some way, but did not elaborate further. He was taken to Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise with injuries sustained in the fire.

The fire was isolated to the building, and did not threaten any surrounding buildings.

Due to the close proximity of a power line, Idaho Power crews arrived on scene to cut power to the area.

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One dead, two hurt after overnight shooting

One person is dead and two people are hurt after a shooting in Nampa overnight.

Police say several people were gathered at a residence in the 1200 block of Elder Street after midnight, when a fight broke out. The suspect in the case pulled a gun and fired multiple rounds.

One of the shots hit and killed Mario Gonzales, 26. Two unidentified 18-year-old female victims were also shot, and rushed to a local hospital for treatment.

The suspect in the case - Manuel Avila, 20 - was on the lose for most of the morning, until police apprehended him just before 11 a.m. Officers say they are familiar with Avila.

Stay with KTVB.COM for updates.

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Police search for Boise armed robbers

FIRST ON KTVB.COM

Police say two men robbed the Stinker Station on Broadway Avenue at Howe St. in southeast Boise just before 10 p.m. Thursday.

Officers say the robbers were armed - and were wearing bandannas on their faces at the time of the holdup.

A witness said he saw the two males - one white and one Hispanic standing outside the store wearing bandannas, with some sort of dowel or piece of lumber in their hands. The witness said he alerted the clerk inside the store to the suspicious activities, just as the two men came running inside.

The two men were both about 5' 10" tall, wearing dark-colored clothing and left the area on foot.

One of the two men claimed to have had a gun, but did not show a weapon.

More than 20 police officers quickly arrived on scene and began searching for the two suspects. A Boise Police canine unit was brought into help search, and officers shut down streets in a four block radius around the store for a time while they searched.

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Police search for Boise armed robbers

FIRST ON KTVB.COM

Police say two people robbed the Stinker Station on Broadway Avenue in southeast Boise just before 10 p.m. Thursday.

Officers say the robbers were armed - and were wearing bandannas on their faces at the time of the holdup.

Police are currently searching the area looking for a suspect.

NewsChannel 7 has a crew on the way to the scene, stay with KTVB.COM for updates fast & first.

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