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May 25, 2005

Fire at public nuisance threatens school

By RICHARD STEPHENS
PVT

RICHARD STEPHENS / PVT
A spectacular blaze, likely caused by juveniles, broke out Sunday at a condemned building in Beatty, just yards from an elementary school. Beatty officials have attempted to abate the nuisance for more than two years, but the owner has been unresponsive.

Fire broke out again Sunday in a building that served as a laundry, apartment, and shop for the abandoned trailer park adjacent to the Beatty Elementary and Middle School. This was the second fire on the property in the last three or four months. The previous fire was in one of the empty mobile homes.

According to fire chief Jim Benshoof, the fire originated in a workroom on the bottom floor of the two-story structure. Reports from witnesses and evidence at the scene indicated it was started by one or more children who had been in the building. This was also probably the case with the previous fire.

Benshoof said that firefighters were concerned about the structural integrity of the building, and that he was worried about sending men inside to battle the flames.

The fire department was called about 2:30 pm. It took a crew of six firefighters, with some help from others to extinguish the fire. They had to fight it from two sides, with the tanker truck parked on school property spraying water from its monitor on one side of the building while others manned hoses attached to a pumper on the other side.

The fire department has long been concerned about the hazard posed by the abandoned structures. They have been trying for nearly two years to get paperwork through the district attorney's office to have the property condemned as a public nuisance.

Owners of the property, who do not live in Beatty, have been non-responsive so far.

The fires have underscored the danger, and the latest blaze has only increased concerns. "We're very concerned about it now, because we know there's structural damage, and if anyone gets in there and starts it again ... right now we're trying to get them (the county) to clean it up right away, or at least fence it to keep people out," said Benshoof.

Luckily the winds were light, because the fire ignited dead grass and weeds on the property. A deputy who responded helped by clearing a firebreak to stop the spread of the flames.

This highlights another problem that Benshoof would like people to be aware of. Weed growth was extraordinarily great this year, and dried grass and weeds around homes are a fire hazard. Benshoof advises homeowners to clear such materials away from their homes, creating a clear area of 10 feet or more around structures.