Superior police, fire investigate suspicious fires at Royalton Manor
Feb. 1—SUPERIOR — The police and fire departments are investigating four fires that appear to have been set intentionally since Dec. 28 at Royalton Manor Apartments, 1901 New York Ave.
The fires were small and extinguished quickly without significant damage or injury to residents or firefighters, Fire Chief Camron Vollbrecht said. The fires occurred in a recycling bin, a trash chute, a dumpster out back and the most recent one was in a hall.
"For us, it's a concern that we have someone intentionally starting them," Vollbrecht said. "There's a lot of people that live there and this is an extremely high-risk situation."
The 1970s-era building was constructed in Billings Park with 157 units but underwent a $3.5 million renovation in 2007 that reduced the number of available apartments to add kitchens that weren't available in most units when built. The four-story structure houses about 110 apartments.
"We moved their recycling bins to a different location and our inspector has been out there double-checking that the fire protection systems are operational," Vollbrecht said.
In addition, Vollbrecht said when the fire department is in the area, firefighters are going into the facility to prevent additional fires.
Anyone with information about the person or people responsible for the fires is asked to call the Superior fire or police departments. If you witness a fire or someone trying to set one, call 911 immediately.
