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Neighbors say Kensington factory had been brought to city's attention before deadly fire
The Web site for the award-winning alternative weekly, the Philadelphia City Paper.
Neighbors say Kensington factory had been brought to city's attention before deadly fire
Accusations are springing up online that the abandoned Kensington warehouse that caught fire yesterday, killing two firefighters, had been repeatedly brought to the city's attention before the fire. At 4:00 PM today, city officials will hold a press conference to address the fire and, presumably, questions around the warehouse.
In a thread on the online forum fishtown.us, several neighbors and nearby residents describe having "blasted" the city's 311 service (which refers complaints to city agencies, like Licensing and Inspections) with complaints about the warehouse, including missing and damaged windows, an insecure gate, and an entrance that was "unsecured and open to anyone."
(Updated: I hadn't realized this, but Ryan Briggs, writing for the blog hiddencityphila.org, posted a decription of the problem just last week in an article titled, "Passing the buck." )
One user, Christopher Sawyer, has posted a public Google Doc with information about the apparent owners of the building, along with a copy of the 311 complaint and a message he received back from 311, saying the complaint had already been made:
This was already reported to Licenses and Inspections. L & I will cite the owner for the violations. If not complied at last inspection, property will be referred to court for a judgment demanding the owner to resolve the problems. In a rare case where the owner has been removed from the property by city agencies, coordinated efforts will be made to correct the outstanding violations.
The warehouse, at 1817 E. York, is owned by York Street Property Development, LLC — a company listed by the Department of State as being based in Langhorne, Pa. (No principals' names are listed). According to data from the city's Revenue department, the owners owe nearly $60,000 in property taxes on that property.
Another company, 728 Market Street, LP — based at the same address as the York Street owner — owns 726-728 Market Street, a dilapidated and boarded up apartment complex in Center City. The owners are more than $278,000 behind on property taxes for that building.
City Paper did email L&I but was told that that department will address questions about the warehouse at today's 4PM press conference.
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