Vacant department store in Banning goes up in flames

A blaze of unknown origin damaged a vacant former department store in Banning this afternoon, a county fire department spokeswoman said.

About 18 firefighters were dispatched at about 1 p.m. to the former Mathewson’s store at 260 W. Ramsey St.

The fire was contained about 1:30 p.m. and no one was hurt, Riverside County Fire Department spokeswoman Jody Hagemann said.

The building, which dates to the 1920s, was condemned in January 2011 by the city due to building and fire code violations.