LOWER HEIDELBERG TWP., Pa. -

The remnants of an apartment building under construction in Berks County continued to burn Wednesday morning, more than 24 hours after a fire reduced the structure to rubble.

Small flames and smoke could be seen rising from the snow-covered ashes at the Legacy at Papermill apartment complex -- an over-55 community -- in Lower Heidelberg Township.

The initial fire broke out early Tuesday morning and quickly went to three alarms as flames engulfed the wooden frame of the structure, which was being constructed next to an already-occupied building.

No one was injured.

Investigators returned to the scene Wednesday in search for what sparked the inferno. A state police fire marshal is assisting in the probe.

Fire officials said the blaze caused about estimated $2 million in damage. The owner of the property told 69 News he will rebuild.

Published:Feb 25 2014 05:28:52 AM EST Updated On:Feb 25 2014 03:06:31 PM EST

This was taken at approximately 4:20 a.m. on 2/25/14 of the 3-alarm structure fire at the Legacy at Papermill Apartments in Lower Heildelberg Twp., Berks Co.

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Investigators seek cause of $2 million inferno in Lower Heidelberg

By Mike Nolan mnolan@southtownstar.com February 25, 2014 7:44PM

A rendering of the proposed Boulevard at Central Station apartment building in Tinley Park. | Supplied photo

storyidforme: 62625782 tmspicid: 10272743 fileheaderid: 4733890

Updated: February 26, 2014 2:12AM

Construction of a long-awaited retail and apartment redevelopment in downtown Tinley Park could get underway in the spring.

Developer Bob Hansen is working to sew up financing for his Boulevard at Central Station, which will include 167 apartments and businesses, such as restaurants, at street level, according to his lawyer, David Sosin. He said Hansen is finalizing his deal, more or less, and anticipates breaking ground soon.

The five-story Boulevard building is planned for a triangular piece of land at South Street and 67th Court, directly south of the Oak Park Avenue Metra station.

First approved in summer 2012, the project has languished, in part because of tight lending restrictions on commercial projects.

Although similar in some respects to the 295-unit Ninety 7 Fifty on the Park apartment building in Orland Park, that project was largely financed by that village.

Tinley Park Mayor Ed Zabrocki said village officials have been kept updated on efforts by Hansen to nail down financing, and that it looks good.

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Delayed redevelopment may start in Tinley Park

LOWER HEIDELBERG TWP., Pa. -

Fire officials said it could take weeks to determine the cause of a massive fire that leveled an apartment building under construction in Berks County early Tuesday morning.

The flames erupted around 3:30 a.m. at the Legacy at the Papermill apartment complex, an over-55 community in the area of Calming Drive and Legacy Boulevard in Lower Heidelberg Township, according to emergency officials.

The 3-story building, consisting of just plywood and studs, burned to the ground, said fire officials.

"I had never seen anything like that before it was an inferno," said Ray Bickley, whose nearby home was damaged by heat alone. "The glass pane of the window was popping because of the heat."

His home's vinyl siding also melted.

More intense damage was faced by the apartment complex beside the blaze. There, officials said three families needed to be temporarily evacuated.

"They just stayed in some ambulances to stay warm until they were able to get back into their apartment," said Chief Thomas Deiterich, Lower Heidelberg Twp. Police Dept.

Fortunately, Deiterich said no one was injured, including firefighters among the 12 departments that were called to the scene.

As of Tuesday afternoon, a cause and origin were unknown. Officials said the fire was under active investigation by a state police fire marshal.

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New construction reduced to rubble after fire in Lower Heidelberg Twp.

Management confirmed that the gym is reserved for market-rate tenants. (Photo: Google maps)

NEW YORK (PIX11) Residents at an Upper West Side apartment building are outraged after finding out rent-stabilized tenants are not allowed to use the buildings new gym.

According to DNAinfo, only tenants who pay market-rate rent at the Stonehenge Village on West 97th Street have access to the new exercise room.

The majority of the residents in the former Mitchell-Lama housing building are rent-stabilized.

A spokesperson for the management company for the building told the website, The small gym we built and opened this week is different in that it is aimed specifically at new and prospective tenants who expect certain amenities and incentives that are commonly available to market-rate renters.

Rent-stabilized tenants key cards do not work to open the gyms door and a sign advises not to hold the door for others.

Residents, however, are calling the situation segregation and say they were left in the dark about the gyms construction and rules.

I cant let you make me a second-class citizen within my own building, said Jean Dorsey, president of the the buildings tenants association.

Dorsey tells DNAinfo she plans on fighting the gym rules.

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Rent-stabilized tenants not allowed to use UWS buildings gym

Construction of the Honors College and International Center will begin in early March.

A&K Construction was awarded an approximate $14.7 million contract to construct the building. The Paducah-based company served as the general contractor for Gary Ransdell Hall as well.

Bryan Russell, director of Planning, Design and Construction, said WKU is happy to work with the company again.

We look forward to another successful partnership on this building, Russell said.

Kerra Ogden, project manager of Capital Construction, said the bids to build the structure were very competitive. While a normal project usually yields five bids, 12 contractors vied for the rights to construct the Honors College and International Center.

Honestly, I dont remember there being that much contractor interest in any other job that Ive ever been involved in, Ogden said.

The company mobilized on Monday. The gravel parking lot has been closed, and Hillcrest Apartments will be removed in early March. In the meantime, the apartment complex will be utilized by Bowling Greens fire and police departments for training.

The three-story building will house the Honors College and its faculty as well as numerous offices, including the Kentucky Institute for International Studies, Study Abroad and Global Learning, and the Office of Scholar Development. The building is projected to be completed by August of next year.

Due to the sinkhole that formed in the Corvette Museum earlier this month, Ogden said testing will be done to further determine if there are any sinkholes in the space where the Honors College and International Center is being built. The process will not hinder the construction progress.

Craig Cobane, executive director of the Honors College and chief international officer, said the building will serve as a gatewayto the rest of the world for students.

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Honors building construction begins in March

BANGOR, Maine The city will officially take over a pair of abandoned properties in the city with a history of unpaid taxes after the City Council unanimously voted to move ahead with the seizures.

The city will take possession of 147 Court St., an apartment building next to Coe Park covered in graffiti and plywood to board up the entrances, as well as a vacant lot at 91 Larkin St. Both properties have matured tax liens against them and city officials have been unable to contact or identify the owners.

In past years, the city has avoided going after properties with back taxes, but recently councilors have urged city staff to acquire abandoned properties where possible in order to reduce the number of dangerous eyesores in the city.

The blighted apartment building will be torn down, allowing the city to sell off the buildable lot underneath. The city will enter talks with neighbors of 91 Larkin St. to see if they would like to add that plot of land to their property.

Also during Monday nights meeting, the council approved a one-year lease for the Bangor Farmers Markets continued use of the parking lot across the street from Bangor Public Library, at no cost to the market.

The council voted to use this lease proposal to replace one that came out of committee last week, which would have assessed a $25 annual rental fee on the seasonal market. However, that one was a three-year lease. The question of whether to assess a fee on the market sparked a contentious debate among councilors during a meeting last week.

Several councilors said they want to take time to discuss the citys policy on charging fees for use of city space. Right now, there is no written policy, and the city assesses fees on some groups for use of public space, but not others.

The farmers market organizers said they arent opposed to a small fee and want to continue operating near Bangors downtown for the long term. Bangor councilors also said they want to ensure the market continues operating in Bangor, but some want to ensure that the city is fair and equitable in whether and how much it charges groups for use of city space.

They will take up that question during a Government Operations Committee meeting in March.

In other business, the council:

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Bangor Council votes to take possession of abandoned properties, OKs one-year free lease with farmers market

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DALLAS (CBS 11 News) - Hundreds of people gathered in Preston Hollow Park this Saturday, for a rally in opposition to a new apartment development plan.

Developer Transwestern is proposing to build a multi-story luxury apartment building at the northeast corner of Northwest Highway and Preston Road.

Condos and apartments are currently located at the busy intersection.

The 12 people who own the Town House Row community that faces Preston have decided to sell, and picked Transwestern as the potential buyer and developer.

We went through many, many developers and think we picked the best one for the property, said Pamela Smith.

Transwestern has drawn up plans for a complex that would include more than 200 apartment units and stand six stories at the tallest level.

When neighbors in the Preston Hollow East neighborhood got word of the project, Homeowners Association President Ashley Parks says,they became concerned with the scope of the development.

Its the traffic. When Preston and Northwest Highway are clogged, people will cut through the streets where we live, where we walk our dogs, take our strollers, Parks Said. Were really concerned about that because there are times when it is already backed up that someone will go 50 mph through our neighborhood.

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Residents Rally Against Construction Of Luxury Apartments

(Updated Friday 3:30 p.m.) The day after a roof collapsed on a vacant apartment building on Winthrop Avenue, the owner said the structure will be demolished.

Cops and firefighters rushed to the building at 217 Winthrop Thursday afternoon and determined the building was empty and no one had been hurt.

Jim Eggert (pictured inspecting the building), a city building official, said the property owner would have to either repair or demolish the structure, which was built in 1965.

The owner, the not-for-profit Mutual Housing, decided to demolish. Seila Mosquera, head of Mutual Housing, shared that news Friday afternoon.

Mosquera said Mutual Housing had planned to tear down the building, but had been waiting for warmer weather to do so. The roof collapse has accelerated those plans; Mosquera said the tear-down will happen as soon as possible.

Mutual Housing has owned the property for a few years, and had been waiting for the housing market to improve before beginning new construction on the site, Mosquera said.

After the building is demolished, the organization plans to build several owner-occupied homes, she said. We want to build two or three townhouses.

She said construction could begin by the end of the year. Were still trying to make sure we have potential buyers.

Police and firefighters responded the partial collapse around 4:30 p.m. Thursday. The vacant, three-story apartment building sits behind a fence locked with a rusty chain.

The roof appeared to be collapsed and the wall on one side of the top floor was leaning outward as of 5:10 p.m. Thursday. Wires, boards, insulation, and other debris hung from the building.

Link:
Caved-In Building Will Come Down

Fire crews respond Sunday, Feb. 9, 2014 to a four-alarm fire at 550 East 500 South in Salt Lake City.

Scott G Winterton, Deseret News

SALT LAKE CITY When asked why he did it, the man accused of causing a four-alarm fire in downtown Salt Lake City told investigators, "Maybe I wanted to see the fire department."

A federal arson charge was filed Wednesday against Dustin Jay Bowman, 33, of Bountiful. Bowman is accused of intentionally setting a fire on Feb. 9 that destroyed a 64,000-square-foot apartment building under construction at 540 E. 500 South, causing an estimated $6 million in damage.

When interviewed by investigators, Bowman said he was at the construction site smoking Spice when he lit a crumpled piece of cardboard on fire and tossed it under a bathtub that was enclosed in a cardboard box and leaning against a wooden wall, according to the federal complaint.

"Bowman claimed if he intended to start a fire, then it was only to start a small fire, perhaps involving one or two apartments," the complaint stated.

Arson investigators confirmed that the fire started in a first floor apartment on the south end of the building.

Burning embers from the fire also damaged the roof of the nearby Smith's grocery store. The business suffered additional damage when it rained and water went through the damaged roof into the store, according to the federal charge.

The dental offices next to the construction site also suffered "substantial water and smoke damage," the report states.

Based on surveillance video gathered from nearby businesses, investigators believe Bowman first arrived at the construction site about 5:22 p.m on Feb. 9. By 5:45 p.m., a surveillance video camera recorded Bowman walking along 500 South away from the building, according to charging documents. At 5:46 p.m., smoke began rising from the building, according to the complaint.

The rest is here:
Bountiful man faces federal arson charge in Salt Lake apartment fire

Posted on: 1:11 pm, February 18, 2014, by David Wells, updated on: 01:13pm, February 18, 2014

SALT LAKE CITY A 4-alarm fire at a Salt Lake City apartment building was intentionally set, according to a press release from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

After five days of extensive scene examination and multipe interviews, investigators have ruled the cause of the fire to be incendiary. The factors resulting in the finding of incendiary are not being released due to the ongoing investigation, the ATF press release said.

A joint investigation was conducted at the scene of the fire by the ATFs National Response Team and the Salt Lake City Fire Department.

A probable cause statement from the Salt Lake County Sheriffs Office indicates Dustin J. Bowman admitted to starting the structure fire at 540 E 500 S on February 9.

Since the apartment building was still under construction, the fire was exacerbated by the large amount of exposed wood in the building.

The damage is currently estimated at $6 million.

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ATF: Fire at SLC apartment building intentionally set