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Jamestown’s Crawford Furniture building leveled by major blaze

Photo by Michael Zabrodsky The former Crawford Furniture location was engulfed in flames minutes after the first call came in around 11:20 a.m. Wednesday.

Flames from a devastating blaze at the troubled former Crawford Furniture location on Allen Street scorched neighboring structures while keeping crews battling the inferno at a distance after 11:20 a.m. Wednesday in Jamestown. Within an hour after it began, the structure collapsed as firefighters took on a losing battle that kept burning throughout the early afternoon.

From the beginning, crews worried about the possibility of the fire spreading to other nearby locations. They also expressed concerns about possible explosions.

Board of Public Utilities workers were called to the scene almost immediately to cut high-tension lines near the location. In addition, barricades were placed around the site of the fire due to heavy traffic from onlookers who wanted view the destruction.

So damaging and dangerous was the incident that employees in the Artone building at 1089 Allen St. were forced to exit the location. Later in the afternoon, BPU reported widespread discolored water that could take 12 to 24 hours to clear. “The firefighting effort at an empty Allen Street manufacturing plant today required pulling a large amount of water from hydrants on the scene, stirring natural-occurring sediments in water lines,” said Rebecca Robbins, communications coordinator.

Crews had most of the blaze knocked down by around 2 p.m. though potential rekindlings were expected. Both Jamestown Mayor Eddie Sundquist and Chautauqua County Executive PJ Wendel were on the scene.

“This is a site that we (the city) have been under a current lawsuit with the owner Richard Rusiniak,” Sundquist said. We have had the New York state DEC and federal EPA. It was really a matter of time before something bad happened without the owner securing it. We do not know the cause of the fire yet as we are here. We will send in investigators afterward, but right now we concerned with everone’s safety, and making sure we are able to put this out as quickly as possible.”

Sundquist confirmed the adjacent building, Artone Manufacturing, was evacuated and “everyone was out and safe.”

From the beginning, Jamestown Fire Department called in assistance from the Falconer Fire Department, Celoron Fire Department and Lakewood Fire Department for additional ladder trucks. Other crews that responded included: Kiantone, Kennedy, Busti, Frewsburg, Gerry, Sinclairville, Fluvanna, Ellington, Randolph, Ashville, Panama as well as Chautauqua County Haz-Mat. Cherry Creek filled in at the Gerry station.

“It’s a big concern,” Wendel said at the scene. “We volunteer anything we have in the county to assist the mayor in dealing with this.”

Located at 1061 Allen St., the site has a recent dubious history as noted by Sundquist. The city Department of Development, Jamestown Police Department, Jamestown Fire Department, Jamestown Department of Public Works, and the Jamestown Board of Public Utilities, along with investigators from both the federal Environmental Protection Agency and the state Department of Environmental Conservation inspected the building to assess the condition of the main building of the massive complex and to inventory and test suspected hazardous materials that have been found on site early this year.

Crystal Surdyk, city development director, told The Post-Journal via email at the time that the EPA was still overseeing the property while code enforcement actions continue. Issues include part of the building being on the verge of collapse, parts of the building needing to be stabilized and the storage of hazardous materials and chemicals scattered throughout the site.

The complex is owned by Allen Street Development LLC, which has reportedly been cited several times violations including for junk and debris and for failure to renovate or demolish. Much of the junk and debris has been removed from the property while the structural issues are dealt with.

“1061 Allen Street has been a problem property for several years and has deteriorated at an increasingly rapid rate over the past year or so,” Surdyk said in an earlier interview in February. “It has constantly been cited for junk and debris, the back portion of the building is on the verge of catastrophic collapse, and there are hazardous materials and chemicals being stored in the building and scattered throughout the site.”

During the fire Jeffrey Sischo, building manager, arrived at the location. ” We’re in the process of cleaning the facility up and working with the city of Jamestown to make any changes that they needed made,” he said.

An hour later, all that remained was smoke and rubble.

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