A vacant residence at 629 Pennsylvania Avenue in the Greenmont neighborhood of Morgantown caught fire early Thursday morning, requiring firefighters to respond.
According to the Morgantown Fire Department, when firefighters arrived on scene, they reported heavy smoke was showing from the first and second floors of the building and eventually flames could be seen.
To extinguish the fire, MFD said crews turned their hoses on the house and made an aggressive interior attack on the empty structure.
The structure was searched and no injuries were reported.
Fire marshals were called to investigate the scene for possible causes.
The unoccupied houses and unkempt properties along Pennsylvania Avenue are not only on the radar of surrounding residents but have also been targeted by the city.
In February, The Dominion Post reported the Morgantown Land Reuse and Preservation Agency’s plans to purchase and demolish vacant and dilapidated properties on Pennsylvania Avenue and other Greenmont locations.
The location of Thursday’s fire is in the area being targeted by MLRPA, Morgantown Director of Development Services Rickie Yeager confirmed.
In fact, it’s just a few doors down from the first property purchased by LRPA, 657 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Yeager clarified, however, that the property affected by Thursday’s structure fire is not under contract for purchase by the LRPA.
During an LRPA meeting on June 27, The Dominion Post reported residents of Morgantown’s oldest neighborhood are growing frustrated with the agency’s slow progress in purchasing and tearing down the neglected properties.
The agency is also facing a ticking clock regarding financing and could stand to lose $600,000 in American Rescue Plan Act money the city committed to help clean up the properties, which must be obligated by Dec. 31, 2024, and spent by Dec. 31, 2026.
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