A woman is facing a 50-year prison sentence after overdosing her son and letting his body burn in a fire.
Firefighters extinguish a car that was set on fire during protests near the inauguration of President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20, 2017. REUTERS

UPDATE, 11:58 p.m. — The cause of the fire that broke out Thursday night in an under-construction building in downtown Raleigh is still under investigation, according to Raleigh Police Department. There have also been no reported injuries.

UPDATE 11:43 p.m. EDT — Following a large fire in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, that began at a construction site, people staying in nearby buildings were evacuated and taken to the Church of the Good Shepherd at 125 Hillsborough Street, local TV station WRAL, an NBC affiliate, reported. There was also a power outage in the area, with the only lights coming from the fire and police vehicles.

UPDATE: 11:30 p.m. EDT — Firefighters are still trying to douse the flames of a large fire in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, that started shortly after 10 p.m. EDT as a four-alarm blaze Thursday, before escalating to five-alarm fire around 11 p.m. There are no reports of any casualties so far.

However, the smoke from the fire seems to be enough to be seen by the radar of the National Weather Service, prompting some health concerns.

UPDATE: 11:10 p.m. EDT — The fire in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, that began Thursday night in an under-construction building is still ongoing. According to local media outlet, WSOC-TV, an ABC affiliate, the fire was upgraded to a five-alarm blaze at some point, but it seems to be back to a four-alarm fire now.

A Raleigh local also posted an earlier picture of the construction site that is on fire, as well as of the crane that fell in the blaze.

Original story:

A massive fire is currently raging through several buildings in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, near North Street, West Street and Harrington. According to early local media reports, the fire is a four-alarm blaze right now.

How the fire started in an under-construction building, to the west of the General assembly building, is still unknown. A construction crane also fell down, causing additional panic among bystanders. Flames soon spread to other structures nearby, including several buildings. Firefighters continue to douse the fire.

Social media users are expressing concern for those who were present in nearby buildings during the fire. It is not known whether anybody was injured, but police are warning travelers to avoid the area.

This is a developing story.

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