West Carson Street partially reopens after fire controlled
-
Firefighters douse the remains of a vacant warehouse on West Carson Street.
Share with others:
West Carson Street partially reopened before rush hour this afternoon after a rekindled warehouse fire forced it to close for the second straight day.
Police announced that Carson is open westbound from Station Square to the West End Bridge. But Carson is still closed eastbound with traffic being diverted into Station Square.
Fire trucks will stay in position to monitor hot spots at the warehouse, which burned Tuesday morning.
Port Authority buses, which had been diverted, were returning to their normal routes and stops.
The road had reopened late Tuesday night after it was closed for most of the day.
No injuries were reported in the fires.
Investigators are trying to determine what sparked the blaze.
Because the damaged building threatened to fall into the street, officials did not waste time tearing it down. The city hired a demolition contractor, Noralco Corp., to raze the structure for $8,500, the lowest of three emergency bids submitted, and work got under way Tuesday afternoon.
The cause of the fire was under investigation. Arson investigators said floors in the building had collapsed and the demolition will make it difficult to determine a cause for some time.
Greg Erosenko, a spokesman for the Forza Group, which owns the site, said the company bought it primarily as an investment because of its location. While it had no immediate plans, the company is considering building a hotel there someday, he said.
It was in such disrepair before the fire that it could not be reused, Mr. Erosenko said. He said the company would reimburse the city for demolition costs.
First Published March 3, 2010 12:00 am
