From the Niagara Falls Review:
A fire at the idle Crowne Plaza construction site Monday shows why it’s important to keep people out of vacant buildings and for work to proceed on schedule, says fire Chief Lee Smith.
Firefighters were called to the site at the northwest corner of Stanley Avenue and Dunn Street late Monday night.
The property is owned by Rudan Holdings.
Someone had got in and set a fire in one of the underground parking levels, Smith said Tuesday.
“This particular fire was not all that large in size, but there was enough smoke developed from it to cause obscurity,” Smith said.
There were no injuries, but when firefighters see smoke they treat it like a rescue until they can confirm there isn’t a victim.
It was the first time firefighters had been called there for a fire, though vandalism and intrusions – apparently by skateboarders who like the vast expanse of concrete flooring – has been an ongoing problem while construction is stalled.
“Until that construction gets underway and there are commonly workers in there … we’re going to probably face this type of thing,” Smith said.
We’ve mentioned this place before. It’s an eyesore, and somehow the city has to figure out a way to force him to get moving, or sell it off.