Breaking:
My son had been to a John Mayer Concert downtown tonight and reports that there is a major fire downtown in the old Philco building. He said it appears to be contained to the one building, but is burning intensely. Smoke covered the downtown area and he said at times he felt as if he was in a small twister caused by the wind from the fire.
Update:
Fire seems to have spread to the Emporium, and ash and embers appear to be raining down on portions of the downtown area.
Saul Young is on the scene. It is windy, and embers are blowing into the Old City. Vegetation outside Barley's caught fire, and that is more than two blocks east.
WBIR says the fire is at McClung Warehouses and has started a fire in the railyard.
WVLT says the 100 Block has been evacuated, including Sterchi Lofts, and the Philco building collapsed, damaging a fire engine, but no firefighters.
Submitted by rocketsquirrel on Wed, 2007/02/07 - 7:35am.
7:20 am--fires break out. HUGE. looks like Ernie Gross Designs could be gone. based on the buildings I'm seeing burning on WATE and the photo I've linked to.
Rooftop of the next building to the west of Ernie is now on fire too.
I live in the Emporium and the last I heard, there was some minor burning on the roof from embers but no real damage to the building. The embers caused several fires, some reportedly as much as two or three blocks east of the McClung Warehouses. I am back in my apartment now @ 04:10. They are restricting us from using the HVAC but in my cave that isn't much of a restriction. They are attempting to clear Fire Street Lofts and the Sterchi for reentry at this time.
Still lots of smoke out there. I have no reports of injury or any reliable info on property damage at this time. Pretty much the entire 100 block was evacuated, mostly as a precaution. Sorry for the sketchy info but, KFD/KPD doesn't go out of their way to keep me informed.
It was reported that three firefighters were injured fighting this enormous fire. Our thoughts and prayers should go out to these firefighters that their injuries were not serious and wish them a full recovery. Fires such as this reminds us of how dangerous firefighting is and how important of a role firefighters play in the safety of the community. Hat's off to them.
I wonder if the city is going to force the owner to demolish what is left or will they continue to let the guy keep his half destroyed eyesore still standing?
Submitted by One of Hooties ... on Wed, 2007/02/07 - 9:33am.
Sigh. Probably the owner screwed his own pooch by not doing anything with these buildings. Unfortunately people and the property of others also paid a price.
Submitted by Simply Ridiculous on Wed, 2007/02/07 - 8:20am.
I can't get the live feed working either. At work several people have conflicting stories about damage, injuries to firefighters, etc. This is horrible.
The fire dept. spokesperson said on the radio ~7:40 that three firefighters had been on the second floor of one of the buildings when it collapsed, that all three suffered 1st, 2nd, and 3rd degrees burn, but beyond that he didn't know the extent of their injuries or whether they'd be airlifted to Erlanger. He didn't know if anyone had been in the buildings when it started. Two of the buildings are total losses, I believe he said, as well. Given the extent of the fire, I don't see how it could be otherwise.
Anyone have theories? And what happens to the lot from here? I liked the look of the warehouses, they were neat, but I can't say they were in that great shape.
Let's please not have any accusations or speculation about what happened until the facts are in. If anyone has information, they should contact the KPD.
There's talk of arson but, from what I understand, Saroff didn't have insurance on those buildings. I also heard that his truck was stolen a couple of days ago, so I wonder if that is connected.
Submitted by cdthomas23 on Wed, 2007/02/07 - 4:25pm.
Was there anything in any of these buildings or were they vacant? Also, how old is the picture of the warehouse on this page "from the archives?" The picture on flickr makes them look much nicer.
God damn Mark Saroff. He should have either fixed up these buildings years ago, or sold them to someone who would. I've lost count of all the proposals he's talked about, and all the partnerships he's backed out of. Yet the City never could quite bring itself to take the property away from him (in spite of the fact that he owes huge amts of back taxes). I suppose #9 will celebrate the victory of the property owner over the govt.
Some victory. Saroff is out his buildings, the community is out what could have been some great restored historic buildings, city firefighters are injured, taxpayers may have to pay for a new fire truck, and poor Ernie Gross has lost everything.
Submitted by knoxnative on Wed, 2007/02/07 - 6:13pm.
I say again, God damn Mark Saroff.
Pretty harsh words for someone who just lost everything, including all his personal possessions. Doubt he had insurance, the cost would have been astronomical for an uninhabited building. And his truck was stolen. Paranoid or not, he has believed for some time that TPTB were trying to force him to give up the buildings, and there have been a lot of sinister happenings and vandalism associated with the buildings. And wasn't there something about Steve Hall being shot at there?
Not to be a Saroff apologist and I don't know all the details, but I think most of the previous proposals would have left him basically giving away his buildings. Not naming any names, but I've heard that some of the downtown revitalizers would like to see those buildings taken away from him so they could see the buildings restored of course, but also reap the profits.
I've been inside the buildings and at least two of them were actually in very good shape inside. Beautiful woodwork and brickwork. Saroff said the buildings were structually sound, but had some external cosmetic problems, like brick falling off and windows out. The N/S said he owes about $18,000 in back taxes, and I recall seeing in the paper some time back where he has already paid a whole bunch of back taxes. And he has recently invested tens of thousands in putting the bricks back up and fixing windows.
So, it may be that he shoulda, woulda, coulda, and it certainly is unfortunate that anyone was hurt and/or will be financially impacted.
But I think the blame should go to the arsonists, not Saroff. And your post seems a little out of line to me.
Sue me. I am sorry for Mark's personal loss and I'm glad he's not hurt, but I've watched him fritter away opportunity after opportunity over the years to fix up those building.
I just don't think he was up to it, and wouldn't admit it.
Not naming any names, but I've heard that some of the downtown revitalizers would like to see those buildings taken away from him so they could see the buildings restored of course, but also reap the profits.
I have no idea what "some downtown revitalizers" want. But even if they did "want" this, there's no evidence that anyone was moving in that direction. Frankly, I'd have been very happy to see the City take that property and sell it to someone who would fix it up. That's the only way the buildings were ever gonna get renovated. Saroff just wasn't up to it.
I'm as worried about eminent domain abuse as anybody, but these buildings were the poster child for when eminent domain should be used. Ask Ernie Gross.
Submitted by rightwinginsider2 on Wed, 2007/02/07 - 8:37pm.
Before anyone continues this jihad against Mark Saroff, you might want to check out these two radio interviews concerning his on-going fight with the City to get his plans approved and financing in place. One of the sticking points was that the City did not think he could complete the rehab on the budget he submitted and thus would not grant him permits to do even the most minimal of work.
It's not a word (or two) I ordinarily use, as you'd know if you were a regular.
I won't apologize for using it this time, because I was really upset. We had four injured firefighters, Ernie Gross losing everything, and could easily have lost the entire north end of downtown.
Strong times sometimes call for strong language.
But don't expect to be hearing it from me again soon.
Am I the only one wondering why we are not hearing more about what the soot and ashes may or may not contain? As someone who has witnessed many similar mill fires in New England, no sooner does the first firetruck show up than a van of whitesuits start monitoring air quality or for asbestos. I say if you're downtown, hold your breath. Hopefully the question will be raised if it hasn't already.
That may be one of Mark Saroff's buildings.
Saul Young is on the scene. It is windy, and embers are blowing into the Old City. Vegetation outside Barley's caught fire, and that is more than two blocks east.
WBIR says the fire is at McClung Warehouses and has started a fire in the railyard.
WVLT says the 100 Block has been evacuated, including Sterchi Lofts, and the Philco building collapsed, damaging a fire engine, but no firefighters.
7:20 am--fires break out. HUGE. looks like Ernie Gross Designs could be gone. based on the buildings I'm seeing burning on WATE and the photo I've linked to.
Rooftop of the next building to the west of Ernie is now on fire too.
I live in the Emporium and the last I heard, there was some minor burning on the roof from embers but no real damage to the building. The embers caused several fires, some reportedly as much as two or three blocks east of the McClung Warehouses. I am back in my apartment now @ 04:10. They are restricting us from using the HVAC but in my cave that isn't much of a restriction. They are attempting to clear Fire Street Lofts and the Sterchi for reentry at this time.
Still lots of smoke out there. I have no reports of injury or any reliable info on property damage at this time. Pretty much the entire 100 block was evacuated, mostly as a precaution. Sorry for the sketchy info but, KFD/KPD doesn't go out of their way to keep me informed.
CAFKIA
-----------------------------------------------------------
It is impossible to defeat an ignorant man in argument.
- William G. McAdoo
Good reporting. Nice work y'all.
Here's a photo of the site from the archives:
Copyright © 2005 R. Neal All Rights Reserved
Good reporting. Nice work everyone.
Thanx Boss!
It was reported that three firefighters were injured fighting this enormous fire. Our thoughts and prayers should go out to these firefighters that their injuries were not serious and wish them a full recovery. Fires such as this reminds us of how dangerous firefighting is and how important of a role firefighters play in the safety of the community. Hat's off to them.
Adrift in the Sea of Humility
WBIR has live streaming video here:
Link...
(Slow to load, though...)
(Doesn't seem to be working at the moment...
So exactly what buildings burned? all of the McClung warehouses?
Google satellite image shows context. I've outlined the burned buildings in red.
there are some amazing photos on flickr
WATE just ran our Restore Knoxville map with the property overlays. Bloggers providing context to local media. See, we can all work together!
I wonder if the city is going to force the owner to demolish what is left or will they continue to let the guy keep his half destroyed eyesore still standing?
Sigh. Probably the owner screwed his own pooch by not doing anything with these buildings. Unfortunately people and the property of others also paid a price.
WATE just ran our Restore Knoxville map with the property overlays. Bloggers providing context to local media. See, we can all work together!
Awesome!
KTB
I was reading some of the comments on wbir.com about the fire..this one made me chuckle...
I saw a white mule running from the area last night with a book of matches.
Didnt the "million dollar fire" way back when have something to do with a white mule?
I can't get the live feed working either. At work several people have conflicting stories about damage, injuries to firefighters, etc. This is horrible.
The fire dept. spokesperson said on the radio ~7:40 that three firefighters had been on the second floor of one of the buildings when it collapsed, that all three suffered 1st, 2nd, and 3rd degrees burn, but beyond that he didn't know the extent of their injuries or whether they'd be airlifted to Erlanger. He didn't know if anyone had been in the buildings when it started. Two of the buildings are total losses, I believe he said, as well. Given the extent of the fire, I don't see how it could be otherwise.
Media updates:
Demolition could be swift
Owner suspects arson, city cites problems
On the AP national wire
(WATE's coverage was on CNN earlier, too.)
Anyone have theories? And what happens to the lot from here? I liked the look of the warehouses, they were neat, but I can't say they were in that great shape.
Link...
Link...
Anyone have theories?
Let's please not have any accusations or speculation about what happened until the facts are in. If anyone has information, they should contact the KPD.
There's talk of arson but, from what I understand, Saroff didn't have insurance on those buildings. I also heard that his truck was stolen a couple of days ago, so I wonder if that is connected.
Was there anything in any of these buildings or were they vacant? Also, how old is the picture of the warehouse on this page "from the archives?" The picture on flickr makes them look much nicer.
Craig Thomas
Link...
>The picture on flickr makes them look much nicer.
The one daylight, non-fire shot in that flickr photo set is the front of the building. Randy shot the rear elevation.
God damn Mark Saroff. He should have either fixed up these buildings years ago, or sold them to someone who would. I've lost count of all the proposals he's talked about, and all the partnerships he's backed out of. Yet the City never could quite bring itself to take the property away from him (in spite of the fact that he owes huge amts of back taxes). I suppose #9 will celebrate the victory of the property owner over the govt.
Some victory. Saroff is out his buildings, the community is out what could have been some great restored historic buildings, city firefighters are injured, taxpayers may have to pay for a new fire truck, and poor Ernie Gross has lost everything.
I say again, God damn Mark Saroff.
Pretty harsh words for someone who just lost everything, including all his personal possessions. Doubt he had insurance, the cost would have been astronomical for an uninhabited building. And his truck was stolen. Paranoid or not, he has believed for some time that TPTB were trying to force him to give up the buildings, and there have been a lot of sinister happenings and vandalism associated with the buildings. And wasn't there something about Steve Hall being shot at there?
Not to be a Saroff apologist and I don't know all the details, but I think most of the previous proposals would have left him basically giving away his buildings. Not naming any names, but I've heard that some of the downtown revitalizers would like to see those buildings taken away from him so they could see the buildings restored of course, but also reap the profits.
I've been inside the buildings and at least two of them were actually in very good shape inside. Beautiful woodwork and brickwork. Saroff said the buildings were structually sound, but had some external cosmetic problems, like brick falling off and windows out. The N/S said he owes about $18,000 in back taxes, and I recall seeing in the paper some time back where he has already paid a whole bunch of back taxes. And he has recently invested tens of thousands in putting the bricks back up and fixing windows.
So, it may be that he shoulda, woulda, coulda, and it certainly is unfortunate that anyone was hurt and/or will be financially impacted.
But I think the blame should go to the arsonists, not Saroff. And your post seems a little out of line to me.
Sue me. I am sorry for Mark's personal loss and I'm glad he's not hurt, but I've watched him fritter away opportunity after opportunity over the years to fix up those building.
I just don't think he was up to it, and wouldn't admit it.
Not naming any names, but I've heard that some of the downtown revitalizers would like to see those buildings taken away from him so they could see the buildings restored of course, but also reap the profits.
I have no idea what "some downtown revitalizers" want. But even if they did "want" this, there's no evidence that anyone was moving in that direction. Frankly, I'd have been very happy to see the City take that property and sell it to someone who would fix it up. That's the only way the buildings were ever gonna get renovated. Saroff just wasn't up to it.
I'm as worried about eminent domain abuse as anybody, but these buildings were the poster child for when eminent domain should be used. Ask Ernie Gross.
And no, Steve Hall was not shot at there.
Before anyone continues this jihad against Mark Saroff, you might want to check out these two radio interviews concerning his on-going fight with the City to get his plans approved and financing in place. One of the sticking points was that the City did not think he could complete the rehab on the budget he submitted and thus would not grant him permits to do even the most minimal of work.
Link....
Link...
Maybe you could just chill wih the GD word, Gemini, ya' think??
It's not a word (or two) I ordinarily use, as you'd know if you were a regular.
I won't apologize for using it this time, because I was really upset. We had four injured firefighters, Ernie Gross losing everything, and could easily have lost the entire north end of downtown.
Strong times sometimes call for strong language.
But don't expect to be hearing it from me again soon.
Am I the only one wondering why we are not hearing more about what the soot and ashes may or may not contain? As someone who has witnessed many similar mill fires in New England, no sooner does the first firetruck show up than a van of whitesuits start monitoring air quality or for asbestos. I say if you're downtown, hold your breath. Hopefully the question will be raised if it hasn't already.
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