Fire reported at vacant Parkersburg building
1046 Market St. targeted for demolition by city
A fire was reported Friday afternoon at 1046 Market St. in Parkersburg. Someone staying in the vacant building started a fire in a large pan as a means to stay warm or heat food, Fire Chief Jason Matthews said. (Photo by Michael Erb)
A fire was reported Friday afternoon at 1046 Market St. in Parkersburg. Someone staying in the vacant building started a fire in a large pan as a means to stay warm or heat food, Fire Chief Jason Matthews said. (Photo by Michael Erb)
A fire was reported Friday afternoon at 1046 Market St. in Parkersburg. Someone staying in the vacant building started a fire in a large pan as a means to stay warm or heat food, Fire Chief Jason Matthews said. (Photo by Michael Erb)
A fire was reported Friday afternoon at 1046 Market St. in Parkersburg. Someone staying in the vacant building started a fire in a large pan as a means to stay warm or heat food, Fire Chief Jason Matthews said. (Photo by Michael Erb)
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PARKERSBURG -- Police and firefighters responded Friday afternoon to a reported fire at a vacant Market Street building that Parkersburg City Council voted to acquire and tear down earlier this week.
The fire was minor -- confined to a metal pan -- but it's an example of the challenges and dangers posed by such dilapidated structures around the city.
Parkersburg Code Director Bob McClung said the three-story structure at 1046 Market St. has been an issue for the city for eight or nine years. The building has changed hands multiple times and the current owner lives outside the state and does not have the resources to care for it, he said.
"The rear of the building has some serious structural issues," McClung said. "The roof's been leaking for several years, and it's rotted the floor out" on portions of all three stories.
As with many vacant buildings, it's drawn homeless individuals seeking shelter, he said.
"There is evidence in there (that) people have been staying there," Parkersburg Fire Chief Jason Matthews said.
No one was in the building when firefighters arrived, so Matthews said it wasn't clear whether the fire in the pan was being used to cook something or just provide warmth. There was no intent to actually damage the building, he said.
McClung said the city is fighting a losing battle trying to keep the building secure by boarding up windows. Even screwing them in instead of using nails has proven ineffective, as people have used screwdrivers to remove the plywood and gain access, he said.
Some homeless individuals bring large amounts of clothes into buildings where they're staying, sort through them and discard unwanted items there, McClung said.
"There's a lot of material in there that's going to add to the fire load if something would happen," Matthews said. "So we're there for a lot longer, tying up resources."
Acting as the Urban Renewal Authority, City Council voted Tuesday to acquire the building via eminent domain and demolish it. The cost of purchasing the property and tearing it down is estimated at $98,400 because of the building's size and the presence of asbestos. The eminent domain process takes at least six months, officials have said.
Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.