Fire that damaged historic home believed to have been started by homeless person
Mar. 23—A fire at a historic house in downtown Brunswick Tuesday that Brunswick fire officials believe was started by a homeless person burned a handicapped access ramp and damaged the porch.
Had it gone unchecked, the fire could have done more damage to the Lissner House, 1319 Union St., but Interim Brunswick Fire Chief Tim White said firefighters made quick work of the blaze.
White said it is not the first time homeless people have taken up temporary residence on the porch or under the ramp.
The city owns the structure.
"We're working with code enforcement now to find a way to try to secure these (vacant) buildings," White said.
The Lissner House is currently not being used by the city, which makes it a potential target for homeless people seeking shelter. It is an issue at vacant structures throughout the city whether they are well-kept or dilapidated and uninhabitable, said John Hunter, director of planning, development and codes for the city.
"In the situation we are in today, any vacant building is attractive as shelter for people," he said.
The Lissner House was built in 1908 by Jacob Lissner, a successful dry goods retailer, Hunter said. It was the second home the family built in what is now Old Town Historic Brunswick. They also built 1000 Union St.
Lissner lived in the house at 1319 Union St. until he died at age 82, Hunter said.
The state took over ownership and used the building as offices for the Department of Labor for a number of years. After that, the city took over the property on the condition that it be for public use.
Over the years it has been used by the now defunct Old Town Brunswick Preservation Society as a museum, offices for Glynn County Drug Court and by the Brunswick Police Department.
It has not been used for any official business since 2020, but Hunter said the city is considering a couple of potential uses for it.
A proposal period ended Feb. 24 that was open to private entities seeking to occupy and operate out of the house.
He said there have been a few instances of police and code enforcement telling homeless people to move from the Lissner House property, but the orders are not always followed.
"It may work for one person but not for another," Hunter said.
While the Lissner House is not dilapidated or uninhabitable, Tuesday's fire is representative of the issues that arise at abandoned and vacant buildings throughout the city.
Hunter said a city survey counted 185 buildings that are classified as dilapidated and an additional 118 classified as uninhabitable, which means the house is vacant and without working utilities.
"So we're dealing with at least 300 vacant properties in the city," Hunter said.
That is on top of the 224 dilapidated properties that the city's demolition program has razed since it began in 2006, Hunter said.
