MORGANTOWN — A house at 485 Forest Avenue was destroyed by fire Sunday morning.
The Morgantown Fire Department was able to gain control of the blaze within 45 minutes, according to the city. The building was unoccupied at the time of the fire but there were indications people were squatting in the building.
The Jewelman Rentals LLC property is estimated to have suffered $125,000 in damages. The fire caused “severe roof and structural damage.”
The structure is one of five along Forest that have been in limbo since early 2017 after slides along the dead end street ended up closing it to traffic for several months.
In December of 2017, the property owners, James and Karen Giuliani, brought a lawsuit against the city of Morgantown and the Morgantown Utility Board, claiming work performed by MUB below Forest Avenue caused the slides, making the properties unfit for renters and costing the couple thousands monthly in rent and parking fees.
Details of a $1.5 million combined settlement from the city and MUB became public in February, but the agreement has never been finalized.
While all this is going on, the properties — empty since May 2017 — have become a regular location for squatters and drug activity. The homes are full of trash and drug paraphernalia.
James Giuliani said he was told drug activity may have been the cause of Sunday’s blaze.
It is unknown if anyone was injured in the fire.
This is a developing story.
