Monday night fires damage two 1920s-era Palm Beach homes

Two homes in Palm Beach were damaged and remained without power Tuesday after an incident the evening before sparked fires and brought a massive emergency response to Midtown's Chilean Avenue.

The town received multiple emergency calls about 4:45 p.m. Monday for a pair of fires, which involved a blown transformer and a live power line on the ground at properties across the street from each other at 145 and 150 Chilean Ave., Palm Beach Fire Rescue spokesperson Joe Sekula said.

When the transformer went, power backed up into the two houses, causing the fires, he said, citing information from Florida Power & Light Co.

Gas, electricity and water were shut off to the area while Fire Rescue crews got both fires under control. Utilities were restored to surrounding homes by about 9 p.m. Monday, Sekula said. In a statement to Palm Beach Daily News Tuesday afternoon, an FPL spokesperson said the incident affected 875 customers Monday, and all power was restored Tuesday to all customers for whom service could be restored safely.

Past Coverage: Utilities shut off in area as Palm Beach crews battle fires at homes on Chilean Avenue

The power line came down and a water line feeding into the house at 145 Chilean Ave. broke, causing extensive water and fire damage to a second-floor bathroom in that home, Sekula said. Crews cut into the roof of that home to create ventilation, then covered the roof with a tarp once the blaze was out, he said. No one was home at the time of the fire.

At 150 Chilean Ave., embers and flames were seen on the outside of an apartment at the back of the property, and there was smoke inside, Sekula said. Crews quickly doused that fire, he said.

While officials search for the incident's cause, Town Engineer Patricia Strayer said it was not related to work in the area to move Florida Power & Light Co. transmission lines underground. The crews performing that work were not on site Monday because of Presidents Day, she said, noting that those crews don't touch the overhead wires until all of the underground infrastructure is completed and ready for the conversion.

Historic Palm Beach homes affected by fires

Both homes are in the ocean block of Chilean Avenue in the busy and historic Midtown area of Palm Beach. Both also carry historic significance, records show.

The house at 150 Chilean Ave. is a landmarked home built in 1929 and designed by architect Charles E. Snyder in the Moorish style. According to Palm Beach Daily News archives, the Town Council in 2009 voted to award the house landmark status.

In her book “Landmark Architecture of Palm Beach,” Barbara D. Hoffstot wrote of the property: “This heavily Moorish-influenced house was constructed as the residence of the architect. It is notable for its elaborate meshre-beeyeh with cinquefoil-arched windows projecting over a lattice door and its slender minaret decorated with Arabic script in low relief. A pointed arch defines the driveway and trefoil arched windows decorate the side facade. The two-story apartment with garage in the rear has its own small minaret.”

The home at 145 Chilean Ave., which Sekula said sustained more significant damage, was built in 1924, according to the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser's records.

The home was built by B.G. Zablocki for its original owner, W.J. Stuart, but the architect is not known, said Amanda Capote, archives and programming associate for the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach.

According to Palm Beach Daily News and Palm Beach Post archives, Zablocki worked with noted Palm Beach architect Agnes Ballard.

According to his 1953 obituary in The Palm Beach Post, Zablocki moved to West Palm Beach in 1920. He was born in Poland in 1873 and lived in Russia, where he met his wife, Marie Herboldt.

Notable projects built by Zablocki include the original West Palm Beach Library and the first Casino on the beach in Lake Worth. A 1926 ad for his business said Zablocki was a construction designer and civil engineer "specializing in Spanish building."

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Monday night fires damage two 1920s-era Palm Beach homes