Fire crews battled a large blaze at the old Schweiger Furniture factory in Jefferson on Friday.


SLIDESHOW: View Images Of Fire

By Friday night, most of the flames were put out or still inside the structure, WISC-TV reported. Crews and onlookers dealt with a lot of smoke Friday, which was visible from the Beltline and Interstate 90.

Crews were unable to get inside the building because the third-story roof on the building’s northwest side collapsed a few hours after the fire started.

Firefighters said they responded to the call at about 4 p.m. Friday. Authorities said they are unsure of the fire’s origin.

Crews from Jefferson and three other surrounding fire teams were using foam Friday night to fight the fire.

Firefighters said that nobody was inside the building at the time of the fire, and no injuries were reported.

The former Schweiger Furniture factory has been vacant since it closed in 2004, laying off 130 people.

At its peak, the factory employed more than 1,000 people. It had been in business for 105 years.

Stay tuned to WISC-TV and Channel 3000 for more information.