An abandoned and condemned house on the 5100 Block of Agar on the southside was finally demolished late in the afternoon of Aug. 31 after being mostly destroyed by fire the previous evening.
The house at 5107 Agar, which had long been the subject of complaints from neighbours for its deteriorated condition, illegal tenants and accumulated debris, had been boarded up and the city ordered the owner to demolish it in February.
Firefighters from the Terrace Fire Department were called to the address at around 11:30 p.m. last night, tackling the blaze first from the east side of the building until BC Hydro crews arrived to disconnect downed and energized power lines from the house.
“Neighbouring houses on both sides were cooled with water to try and protect them from radiant heat,” said city official Tyler Clarke.
He said the neighbouring houses suffered minimal damage in the form of some melted siding.
Firefighters spent several hours extinguishing the blaze and the structure was checked this morning to ensure the fire was out.
The city hired a company to demolish the house and while a backhoe was moved to the site several weeks ago, it was subsequently taken away and the building remained standing. There was no immediate reason provided for the delay in the original demolition plan.
An inspection in January found, among other things, rotten wood and a rotten subfloor on the main floor, floor joists and other structural work not done to code, an unsafe carport and deck, an uncertified wood stove, an illegal suite in a room not intended to be lived in, heating and ventilation issues.
Earlier information from the city indicated the property owner has a trustee overseeing the property and had indicated an intent to sell.
The city is to bill the trustee for the demolition and associated costs and, if not paid now, those costs will be added to property taxes or reimbursed when the property is sold.