Jamestown fire investigators are still looking into what started the blaze that destroyed a vacant Orchard Street home Wednesday evening.
The house located at 16 Orchard St., a dead-end road located above Bush Street off of Winsor Street, was owned by 29-year-old Jason Skinner, and has been a major point of contention between him and the city's Department of Development.
The house was placed on the city's demolition list recently, but in light of the fire, was demolished early Friday morning.
FLAMES SHOWING
A Jamestown police officer on routine patrol spotted flames coming out of the house around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday and quickly notified the fire department.
Two fire engines, a ladder truck and the department's command vehicle all arrived on the scene, and a 12-man off-shift crew was immediately called in, according to Battalion Chief Sam Salemme.
"On arrival, there were heavy flames on the first floor," he said. "And since the back side of the house is on a steep embankment, we had to send an engine down to Bush Street below and fight it from there."
It took the crew about an hour to get the bulk of the fire under control, and since all the adjacent houses have already burned down in the past, no serious threat was posed to the neighborhood.
"The home was badly damaged and Kingsview Paving was called in to demolish it," Salemme said. "We had crews on the scene until 3 a.m., and the cause is still under investigation. Luckily, there are no injuries to report. "
The JPD is asking anyone with information about the incident or any other suspicious activity to call the detective's bureau at 483-7537 or the department's tip line at 483-TIPS. Information can also be submitted online on Facebook, MySpace or via e-mail at jpdfio@yahoo.com. Tips can also be submitted under the public safety section of the city's Web site at www.jamestownny.net. All information can be submitted anonymously and will be treated confidentially.
ISSUES ON ORCHARD STREET
According to Skinner (formerly Nasser), he purchased 16 Orchard St. a few years ago after moving to the area for "a new start." He said a broken pipe caused a serious flood inside the house a short time after purchase, prompting the Department of Development, responding to a neighbor's complaint, to post the house "not to be occupied."
Then around 8 p.m. on March 17, 2008, city police were called to the house after a report of a burglary in progress. It turns out that the person seen inside the vacant home was actually Skinner going inside the house to get something, he said.
Police found 13 cats in an upstairs bedroom with "little food and no water" and said the room "had a significant amount of urine and feces in it."
Skinner was charged with violating the state's agriculture and markets code more commonly known as animal cruelty, and later pleased guilty in court, receiving a conditional discharge for agreeing to sign the cats over to the Chautauqua County Humane Society.
He said that the only reason he pleaded guilty at the time was because the District Attorney's office was holding a recent aggravated unlicensed operation charge, which his council didn't know about, over his head.
"I've been trying to fight this for a year now and it hurt to plead guilty today," Skinner said at the time. "But I'm married with a baby on the way next month and am still working with the city to get the house up to code. I had no choice but to take the deal, but I don't like it."
Since he pleaded guilty in Jamestown City Court last March, Skinner has been at odds with the Department of Development and had police officers called to the home as peace officers on several occasions. With the house posted, he and his wife Erica were living elsewhere, but still ended up in the public's eye on at least one occasion.
