Excavators this morning are tearing into the 121-year-old building.
The former Marsellus Casket Co. factory is being demolished today after a fire destroyed the Richmond Avenue building Wednesday. Syracuse, NY -- The Marsellus Casket Co. clock that told the time over Erie Boulevard for years is gone, brought down during demolition of the fire-ravaged factory.
Excavators continue to dig through the wreckage this morning of the 121-year-old red brick building that was destroyed by a fire Wednesday morning that burned for hours. Police and fire investigators say someone sparked the fire, but they aren’t sure if it was deliberate.
This morning, the area surrounding the building at 101 Richmond Ave. was cordoned off by police tape. Excavators crunched into the debris as a portion of one of the brick walls collapsed into dust.
A fire truck continues to standby during the demolition hosing down smoldering debris that re-ignites when oxygen hits it, said District Fire Chief Steven Evans, speaking as he stood in this morning's rain.
The rainy weather is helping the demolition by dampening the debris and keeping dust down, he said.
The fire was reported at 3:06 a.m. Wednesday, and took 50 to 60 firefighters and five trucks with ladders and hoses several hours to bring it under control. Trucks stood by in the afternoon to douse any flare ups of flames.
No one was injured in the fire.
Two different developers had tried to redevelop the property left vacant in 2003 when the maker of fine wood caskets that buried celebrities closed. Developers hoped to renovate the building into shops or apartments. But the plans never came through.
In the meantime, the building deteriorated. Police say they’ve had to chase kids away from the building, and there was a fire in the former offices last year.
Fire investigators theorize the fire may have been caused by kids, a homeless person who built a fire or someone using a torch to remove metal for scrap. They are reviewing surveillance video from nearby businesses for clues and speaking with neighbors about what they may have seen before the fire started.
Investigators say the fire began underneath the clock on the third floor of the Erie Boulevard side of the building about 50 to 60 feet into the building.
Throughout Wednesday’s fire and into the evening the clock stood sentinel on top of building. This morning it’s gone.
See complete coverage of Wednesday's fire in stories, photos and videos.