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Show (J p Firemen worked all through the night In an effort to contain the eight-plex fire. Fire Levels Deer Valley 8-Plex Jack Johnston's controversial controver-sial eight-plex on Olive Branch Road in Deer Valley was laid to waste late last Saturday night by a spectac ular fire of undetermined, yet somewhat suspicious, origin. However, there is some speculation this week that order to bring it into compliance with height limitations lim-itations set forth in the Code. Underlying it all, the City's right to enforce its building ordinances and the manner in which they have or have not been enforced in the past would have been challenged. Controversial from the beginning, the project was approved by the Planning Commission March 21 with an unusually disunited 3 to 2 vote. That decision was appealed to the City Council the next week by community activist Mary Lehmer whose property adjoined the 8-plex site. At.Jhe time Mrs. Lehmer argued unsuccessfully unsuccess-fully that the project should not be approved because of unstable soil conditions, improper and hazardous access, and because inadequate inade-quate water supply could hamper fire fighting capabilities capabi-lities in the area. As the building took shape, Building Inspector Bob Skanter and other officials at City Hall were called to the site almost daily to investigate various purported pur-ported violations of the Land Management Code. Most of those requests came from Mary Lehmer and most or the time failed to produce any concrete action on the part of the Inspector. However, How-ever, at least three "stop orders" were placed on the project at various times because the building was apparently over height limitations limit-ations detailed in the Land Management Code. Twice those orders were rescinded because subsequent alternative alterna-tive measurements proved the building in compliance with the Code and a third order was lifted by the courts in the form of a restraining order until the matter could be heard at a formal hearing. To many residents fed up with the inconvenience of Park City's recent building explosion, the 8-plex became a symbol of everything that was wrong with Park City at the time and its owner the target of accusations and harrassment. Manv of the over 100 spectators that gathered to watch the roaring blaze last Saturday - night actually cheered when the roof collapsed leaving no doubt that the building would be totallv destroved. It is no wonder that in the wake of the devastating fire, that the popular conjecture in town was that the blaze had been purposely set. Park City Volunteer Firefighters Fire-fighters arrived at the Deer Vallev scene Saturday night only minutes after the alarm was given at 9:31. Dozens of residents seemed to spot the blaze simultaneously and all rushed to report the fire. Chief Kofford told The Record that when he arrived, approximately five minutes after the initial alarm, the entire east end of the 8-plex was engulfed in flames which were shooting through the roof. ' 'The fire was so well involved by the time we got there that there was little we could do to save the building," said Kofford. In an attempt to keep the flames from spreading to nearby homes and the heavily wooded area south of the building, firemen immediately im-mediately began fighting the blaze from both above and below the site. Shortly after hoses were aimed at the blaze, the fire spread to the west end of the structure and through the roof, illuminat-. ing the night, with an eerie red glow that could be seen for miles. Jack Johnston said he glanced out his front window, win-dow, saw the glow and immediately felt that it was his 8-plex. Johnston arrived at the site in time to witness the roof collapse in a showery explosion of flames and sparks, and to hear ghastly cheers of the cold-hearted cold-hearted spectators. Chief Kofford estimates that the blaze was brought under control within an IVj after firefighters arrived at the scene but continued to extinguish stubborn burning embers until mid-morning Sunday. Firemen were called back to the site several times that day to douse flames that flared up during the day. During the fire and most of $unday. there was great concern about a night watchman watch-man reportedly to be staying in the 8-plex at the time of the fire and unable to be located in its aftermath. The watchman was fmallv located at his home late Sundav and has been interviewed exten-sively exten-sively by State investigators. His testimony is expected to shed some light on the cause of the fire. When contacted after the fire. Jack Johnston said he definitely plans to rebuild the 8-plex to its former specifications including the still-disputed height. As for the hearing January 17, Johnston feels it is a moot point because the building is currently under any possible height limitations. However, once the building begins to once again take shape, there is a possibility that the entire , controversy will begin again. the fire was started accident-ly accident-ly by a watchman who may have started a small fire in the garage area to keep warm. An official report from the State Fire Marshall's office called in to investigate the blaze bv Park Citv Fire Chief Paul Kofford, is expected to be released this Thursday. The eight unit condominium condomin-ium project was scheduled for completion in two weeks and had apparently been pre-sold for $1 million. Standing in the way of the project's occupancy by individual indiv-idual owners however was the outcome of a legal battle between Mr. Johnston and Citv officials which had been scheduled for January 17. At that hearing. John- ston's attorneys planned to challenge the validity of Park I City's Land Management J Code in an attempt to keep s City officials from enforcing a stop work order placed on the project November 16 and 1 from perhaps forcing their J client to reduce the heighth of the nearly-completed building bv at least 6 feet in Jo AVV- ..y c -vy- ' ' a a. ' rf jJ "m00 i I ' Y V -"far "v J " ' I ' " --r--Wbjwai . 1 1 ' V " : The controversial eight-plex before the devastating blaze. , - - ' ' ' |
