JOHNSTOWN —
For more than a decade, the dilapidated former Maple Park School has provoked controversy in Johnstown’s Walnut Grove area.
Early Tuesday, the hulking, vacant building was the neighborhood’s focus yet again – this time as residents watched it burn in a massive fire that has been declared suspicious as officials continue to search for a cause.
The four-alarm blaze brought every available city firefighter to the scene along with three volunteer companies from surrounding communities. City fire Chief Anthony Kovacic said his crews never had a chance to attack the flames from the inside.
“We had heavy fire in the upper floor and in the roof area, and it escalated quickly,” Kovacic said.
The first fire report came at 4:44 a.m. By the time Kovacic arrived at the Jacoby Street scene shortly thereafter, he already was calling a third alarm for more manpower.
“We knew it was going to require a lot of our resources,” he said.
Given the severity of the blaze in a structure that had been neglected for years – records show it now is owned by a man in Mexico – firefighters were forced to take a defensive approach.
“Interior conditions were suspect to begin with,” Kovacic said.
Water also was an issue, with crews running a line up the street to the Solomon Homes area to tap into a stronger supply. Volunteer firefighters from Oakland, Dale and Richland responded to assist.
Kovacic said Walnut Grove’s hydrants are more suited to battling a house fire than Tuesday’s blaze.
“That area of the city doesn’t have a robust water system,” he said. “When you have a building as large as this, it’s going to require a lot of water.”
Crews remained on scene throughout the day, continuing to douse hot spots. The building’s roof had collapsed, leaving many smoldering areas inside.
Because the structure was vacant and had no utility service, Kovacic said the fire is considered suspicious. State Trooper Timothy Frew, a fire marshal, was summoned to investigate.
Kovacic said Frew was lifted above the burned-out structure on a fire truck so he could better photograph the scene.
Some say there has been suspicious activity around the building, which dates to 1921. Jay Patton, who lived across from the former school until late last year, has noted broken windows and said the building’s doors were broken open.
He also said he and his wife, Amanda, found a fire extinguisher near the building last year.
“Over the summer, there were nuisance problems,” he said, standing near the fire scene on Tuesday. “You don’t have windows shattering just for the heck of it.”
Added Amanda Patton: “I just sensed in my gut that something was going to happen.”
Also surveying the scene was Barbara Saitta, who resides at Solomon Homes with her mother, Gloria.
“I think it’s a shame,” Saitta said. “My mother went to school there.”
Decades after the building had ceased to be a school, a group called American Legion Housing for Homeless Veterans Corp. proposed a shelter there for as many as 40 homeless vets.
Many residents opposed the project, and City Council denied a permit for it. But that prompted a 2002 lawsuit from the U.S. Justice Department, which argued that city officials had violated civil-rights laws.
A 2004 settlement imposed a $97,500 penalty on the city and mandated that the shelter be allowed to open. But the following year, the Legion group backed out of its plans.
Ownership of the building has changed hands several times since then. Cambria County tax records show it is owned by Osorio Hector Nunez, who has an address in Playas de Rosarito – a Mexican city south of San Diego and Tijuana.
Watch tribdem.com for details on this developing story.
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