WATERVILLE — Officials were demolishing a historic building in downtown Waterville on Thursday after a fire sent flames tearing through it and thick black smoke billowing into the air.

Fire Chief Chris Meskan said his department got a call about a fire at the Rogers building at 6:15 a.m. Thursday. He was the first person on the scene, and said he arrived to find it engulfed in smoke and flames.

The building houses four apartments and two businesses. Eight people were displaced.

Meskan said no one was hurt.

He said he believes the fire started outside, but the cause was still unknown.

Mayor Steve Mihalik told The Associated Press the Red Cross was assisting families who have been displaced.

The fire came as Waterville residents were already dealing with significant flood damage. High water and sandbags are still evident across the community.

Meskan said firefighters and others were already weary from the weeks of flood work.

“At this point, it’s another significant community issue that we have to deal with,” Mihalik said.

After the fire was under control, officials brought in excavators to push the building away from the road, and firefighters urged the public to stay back.

“The building is not safe,” fire official Randy Mescae said. “We’re going to push everything inwards.”

Authorities were also checking nearby buildings to see if they had suffered damage that might require teardown.

Resident Carissa Schrot, who lived in one of the four apartments with her 3-year-old daughter, boyfriend and mother-in-law, said she was woken up by the fire.

“My mother-in-law was banging on my bedroom door at 6:15 a.m. after smelling smoke in an upstairs bedroom,” Schrot said. She grabbed her daughter, and her boyfriend ripped the door off the apartment so they could get out.

Crews from several communities were called in to help put out the fire.

The building was built by the city’s founder, L.Z. Rogers, in 1891.

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Information from: Faribault Daily News, http://www.faribault.com