City Nights Structure Fire / Fire Helmet Camera PART 1

EAST ST. LOUIS -- A popular nightclub where a 23-year-old Bethalto man was run down and killed Oct. 3 went up in flames late Tuesday night.
Fire broke out shortly after midnight at City Nights, 1100 S. Eighth St., which has been at the center of controversy since the death of Anthony Rice outside the club.
Attempts to reach members of the Allen family, which own City Nights and a second night club in Washington Park named Miss Kitty's, were not successful.

Fire Chief Tommy Grimmett said the call came in at 12:20 a.m. Engine Companies 424 and 425 responded. The fire was under control within a couple of hours, Grimmett said.
Firefighters battled the blaze inside the building as well as from outside. Assistant Fire Chief Jason Blackmon said the fire crews left the area at 5 a.m. No injuries were reported.
East St. Louis fire investigators and the Illinois State Fire Marshal were back at City Nights today, sorting through the rubble to try to find a cause.
Grimmett said he could not speculate on the fire's cause.
He said he will leave a determination of the cause up to the fire marshal. And, he said it could be at least a couple of weeks before any reports are back.
East St. Louis Mayor Alvin L. Parks Jr. pulled the liquor license of the club on Oct. 23, when police went to the business to investigate Rice's death.
Rice's family has said he was run over by a truck allegedly belonging to an employee at the business. Rice's brother, Aubrey Rice, has said that the employee got into his truck, chased after him, his brother and two of their friends, and ran over Anthony Rice.
The family is alleging that the incident was racially motivated.
No one has been charged in the incident. Police say they have not finished the investigation. An Illinois State Police Accident Reconstruction team investigated the scene. Police have said they are waiting for that report to come back.
The Rice family also alleges that club bouncers threw rocks at them and attacked them with Tasers. One employee, described by the Rice family as having a shaved head and a tattoo of a swastika on his neck, taunted them with racial slurs and chased the group with Tasers, the Rice family said.
Family members have manned informational pickets at the nightclub, and said they would continue to do so until police conclude their investigation. Their next scheduled event is set for 3:30 p.m. at City Hall this Sunday.
Justin Meehan, the attorney for the Rice family and uncle of Anthony Rice, said the family has no knowledge about the cause of the fire. "The Rice family condemns any violence. Our protests have always been peaceful and dignified and in the tradition of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr," he said.
Meehan said the family moved its protests to City Hall after "No Trespassing" signs were placed on City Nights property.
Commenting on the blaze that destroyed the night spot, Rice said, "While we are not sad to see it go, we have no explanation for how this occurred. We ask the East St. Louis Fire Department to make a thorough investigation," Meehan said.

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