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Michael Lichtenstein told the blog Hidden Daily Philadelphia last
month that a development planned for the warehouse had stalled
because of the economy. He said he wasn't sure who was responsible
for managing and maintaining the property, but that "the building is
being kept up." Residents, however, tried to seal up the building themselves, cleaned
litter around the premises and reported their concerns to the city over the
past year, said Jeff Carpineta, president of the East Kensington Neighbors
Association. They also wrote a letter several months ago to an attorney
listed in public records as the contact for the owners, Carpineta said. The
structure was repeatedly left open and unsecure, he said. "The building was becoming an anxiety because a lot of us were concerned
about the building burning down," he said. Carpineta blasted city officials for not taking the initiative to secure
the premises. The cost would have been minuscule compared with the damage
wrought by the blaze, he said. "At what point does the city say, 'We need to do what's right?'"
Carpineta said. Gillison, however, said the city was taking action in light of the
complaints and violations but officials had to follow the law in doing so. As the early-morning fire spread from the warehouse, flames poured from
the windows as crews doused water on it from all sides. Hot embers from the
main fire blew to nearby structures, causing small fires that damaged six
homes. Fire trucks lined the nearby streets for hours after the blaze was
brought under control. Bricks and debris were scattered on the roads
surrounding the fire scene, where much of the warehouse had collapsed. Police began banging on the doors of nearby homes shortly after the fire
was reported. No injuries were reported among the displaced. The Red Cross
of Southeastern Pennsylvania set up a shelter and offered aid to about two
dozen people who had been forced from their homes. By 10:30 a.m., most had
left to see if their homes had been damaged. Twenty-nine minutes after the fire was brought under control, an alarm
went out for the trapped firefighters. Ayers said the department last lost a
firefighter in 2006. The last time it lost multiple firefighters on a single
call was 2004. Nutter ordered flags in the city to be flown at half-staff
for 30 days. "We're getting a lot of support, just as we give service to our citizens,
they're serving us right now," Ayers said.
[Associated
Press;
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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