House where woman died in fire will be razed
SAUGERTIES, N.Y. >> The village has scheduled inspection of an apartment house that was gutted by fire this past spring, leaving one person dead.
The inspection is being carried out in anticipation of demolishing the building at 21 Russell St.
The fire, on April 21, claimed the life of Tanya Conklin, 46, who lived in one of the building’s three apartments. Three other people, including a child and teenager, where critically injured.
Saugerties Mayor Bill Murphy said after a Village Board meeting on Monday that insurance companies have been given a final opportunity to declare investigations are still open.
“I contacted our attorneys last week and said ‘enough’s enough,’” Murphy said. “‘I’m tired of getting people complaining about this building still being up. What do we have to do about taking it down?’
“They came back and said, as far as [they] know, everything’s complete. There’s no reason the village ... can’t tear it down right now, but we have to get permission,” Murphy said.
Murphy said the village attorneys “sent emails to the insurance company attorney, the homeowners’ attorney, and ... if there’s no objection at this point, the village will grant permission to tear it down.”
The building is owned by Giuseppe Sireci of Brooklyn and managed by his son, Joseph, who lives in Saugerties.
The fire is not considered suspicious, but the state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services said in August that no cause had been determined due to the extent of the damage.
Murphy said it’s important to take the building down before the winter.
“I’m tired of this thing sitting there,” he said. “If they don’t know what caused the fire by now, they’re never going to figure it out. The thing has been sitting there for five months, and my fear is that if it’s up during winter and we get a snowfall, it’s going to become a bigger hazard.”
Murphy also said neighbors have been seeking a resolution so they can repair their own damage from the fire.
“The people next door in the house that was slightly affected can’t even start working on their house until that building is torn down,” he said.