Massive fire near Southpark Mall in Charlotte

Officials are responding to a large fire in the SouthPark Mall area of south Charlotte Thursday.

The Charlotte Fire Department is responding to the blaze along Liberty Row Drive, not far from SouthPark Towers.

WCNC Charlotte crews could see large smoke clouds and fire rising into the area from the area of Barclay Downs Drive and Fairview Road. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department is asking people to avoid the SouthPark area so their crews can respond to the fire efficiently. Drivers are being asked by CMPD to avoid Liberty Drive, Fairview Road, Assembly Street, Barclay Downs Drive and Parkk South Drive until all flames are contained.

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WCNC Charlotte crews arrived on the scene and saw the aggressive flames destroying the wooden structure, causing beams to collapse.

The cloud of smoke from the fire is so thick it's registering on the radar. In fact, a Public Safety Alert went out to smartphones in the area that said "CFD is battling a large fire in SouthPark, do not call 911 unless you have an emergency."

No word on what caused the fire.

More info: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/loc...