Fire at 96 Locust Street ruled arson
Oct. 30—Investigation by Lockport Fire Department determined that the Oct. 19 fire at 96 Locust Street was "intentionally set," Fire Chief Luca Quagliano said Monday.
So far, though, no individual has been identified as the suspect and investigation by Lockport Police Department is continuing, Police Chief Steve Abbott said.
The 12-unit apartment house was already in the city's sights as officials moved to have it declared a "nuisance" property in City Court. The owner, Mike Howe, was due to appear Nov. 2 to negotiate terms in which he would evict all of his current tenants and address numerous code violations.
The standard penalty for operating a nuisance property is to keep it vacant / unoccupied for one year. The city sought the declaration after disclosing that 96 Locust had been the subject of 79 police calls in a 12-month period, with complaints ranging from disturbances of the peace to drug overdoses, mental health issues and police raids.
Fire broke out at 96 Locust just after 12 a.m. Oct. 19. According to Quagliano, the fire started in the basement, climbed the interior wall holding up the structure, and burst through the roof. Two weeks later, he said, the house has visibly "sagged" into itself, leaving a shell. Chief Building Inspector Jason Dool declared it "unsafe" and the Common Council last week ordered it demolished.
Last week, Red Cross said it was assisting 25 people who were displaced by the fire.
Howe's Thursday court appearance is still on; in addition to the violations at 96 Locust, he's in court regarding violations at 88 Olcott St., a house he has said he wants to convert to apartments.
