Collapse forces four from West Lloyd home
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SHENANDOAH SENTINEL - Fire and collapse damaged properties at 210 and 212 West Lloyd Street are seen Thursday afternoon.
SHENANDOAH – A family of four was forced from their home after a long-abandoned fire damaged home suffered a partial collapse, damaging their home.
Chiefs from the Shenandoah Fire Department were called to the 200 block of West Lloyd Street around 12:30pm today for the reported collapse.
Assistant Chief Joe Boris, Columbia Hose, said a partial collapse occurred at 210 West Lloyd, which burned in November of 2014. The collapse damaged 208 West Lloyd, he said.
“On the 210 side, the wall, where it meets the floor, is three-foot-gapped, all the way from the front to the second room,” Boris said. “The upstairs buckled.”
210 and 212 West Lloyd Streets are both severely fire-damaged from the 2014 incident and have been left in that state ever since.
Shenandoah Borough acquired the two properties midway through last month at repository sale. Tony Sajone, borough manager, said an engineer and borough officials were at the property yesterday to inspect the property to prepare bid documents for a potential demolition.
Sajone said the property is on the county demolition list.
“We’re going to have to do an emergency demolition there,” Sajone said, adding that he’s been in contact with county officials, contractors, and other entities.
According to the Schuylkill County Parcel Locator, Shenandoah acquired 210 West Lloyd on June 17 and 212 West Lloyd on June 22.
Joe Mitchell Jr. owns and lived in 208 West Lloyd and he, his partner, and two children had to evacuate as a result of the collapse next door.
210 was previously owned by Matthew Woosly, of 1547 Bambrey Street, in Philadelphia’s Grays Ferry section. He purchased the home on Dec. 8, 2015, from John J. Wicker, 3804 Dresher Road, Bensalem, for $100.
According to imagery from Google Streetview, 1547 Bambrey Street, Woosly’s most recent address provided to Schuylkill County, was boarded up and posted No Trespassing, with a sign noting the property was cleaned and sealed by the Philadelphia Department of Licenses and Inspections.
212 was previously owned by Zahra Monireh Nezamzadeh, 123-12 Jamaica Avenue, in the Richmond Hill section of Queens, New York. They purchased the property on Nov. 19, 2015 from Marek Karski, 57 Cheswich Ct, Bedminster, NJ, for $500.
123-12 Jamaica Avenue is a print, pack, and ship center that offers mailbox rental.
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Sounds like the county needs to tighten requirements for purchasing known blighted properties. We often hear some tenants referred to as “scum” but this is one of many cases where the landlord/owner is “scum”.
Hope the people who had to evacuate didn’t suffer any damage and get back in their home quickly!