ST. LOUIS - St. Louis firefighters kept a close watch on the fire at a vacant warehouse that has been smoldering for more than 48 hours. City officials said the owner of the building applied for a demolition permit back in August.

The city's website shows the warehouse, located at Broadway and Hempstead, is one of more than 9,000 vacant buildings within the city. It also shows another 15,000 vacant properties.

The owner of the warehouse bought the building five years ago. He said it has sat vacant for three years after a tenant moved out. The owner said he is constantly dealing with people breaking in, stealing scrap metal, and damaging the property, which is ultimately costing him thousands of dollars.

City officials said after adding security to the Railway Exchange building back in the summer and seeing that success, they hope to help more owners dealing with break-ins.

"The success of that program has us analyzing where else we can help. I'm really sorry to that owner," Conner Kerrigan, City of St. Louis spokesman, said. "It is a shame they had to experience that, but I do know they filed the application and permit to demolish, and we're working to get that done."