Fire Destroys TV Station Building, Blocking NFL Playoff Broadcast

Fire destroyed the studios of KREX-TV and KFQX-TV in Grand Junction, Colo., blocking local broadcast of NFL playoff games.

City fire investigators said Monday they were still looking into the cause of the Sunday morning blaze.

Five people inside the building escaped safely but the building was considered a total loss.

The building, which was several decades old, did not have a sprinkler system, fire department spokesman Mike Page said.

Damage was estimated at about $6 million.

There was no immediate indication when the stations would be back on the air. KREX is a CBS affiliate and KFQX is a Fox affiliate.

The blaze knocked out local broadcasts of Sunday’s NFL playoff games.

Page said investigators could not enter the building during the night because of flare-ups and the danger that the structure would collapse.