A fire broke out in a towering historic factory warehouse in the Czech city of Zlín, known for its architectural heritage.

The local fire service reported on Thursday that part of the 10-story building had collapsed.

No injuries were reported as the building was unoccupied, while images showed thick columns of black smoke rising from it.

The industrial city of Zlín is located about 250 kilometers southeast of Prague.

Reports said the fire started on the ninth floor of the warehouse belonging to a Czech sportswear brand and spread quickly; the cause of the fire is not yet known.

The towering factory building number 34 was constructed between 1949 and 1955.

The building was used as a central warehouse for the Svit shoe factory, the nationalized company that took over the management of the famous Bata plants in Czechoslovakia under the socialist regime.

The fire service declared the highest level of alert, with about 300 firefighters at the scene battling the major blaze.

News reports indicated that around 75,000 pairs of shoes were destroyed in the fire.

The Czech News Agency (ČTK) reported that the damage to the Vasky sportswear brand caused by the fire is estimated at least 150 million Czech koruna (7 million USD).