Fire inspector: Lawrence nightclub called "extreme hazard" in 2007

By John R. Ellement and Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

The former Lawrence nightclub where an inferno started Monday was described in a 2007 letter from the city’s fire prevention officer as an "extreme hazard to public safety" that was "a three-story bonfire just waiting for an ignition source."

The letter, written by Fire Captain William Lannon, described a structurally unsound building littered with propane tanks and kerosene cans from heaters that were not supposed to be used at the construction site. Firefighter responded to a report of smoke in the building on Jan. 25, 2007, and found workers burning scrap wood in a 55-gallon drum to keep warm.

"There are numerous life safety hazards throughout this building, and any fire in this building would literally race throughout this structure because of the lack of any type of walls, floor, and ceiling coverings," Lannon wrote in the letter to the Lawrence Inspectional Services Department. "This building is essentially a three-story bonfire just waiting for an ignition source."

Despite warnings of inspectors, a worker at the site was using a propane-fueled heater as recently as Friday, said Peter Blanchette, a city inspector who visited the Market Street building. The worker was using the heater on scaffolding outside the building and was told to turn it off, Blanchette said.

The owner of the building, Geraldo Torres, said in an interview today that he had complied with all orders by the city and repeatedly went to the Fire Department to ask how to make the building fire-safe. Torres said that he had been installing a sprinkler system. The work was nearly complete, but the system had not yet been connected to the city’s water supply, he said. When asked about the use of heaters, Torres said he was at the site Saturday and saw a single heater being used to dry stucco on the exterior of the building.

The cause of Monday's fire has not yet been determined. The blaze damaged 15 buildings on nine properties and left 150 people homeless. The Millennium nightclub had been closed for several years before new owners began renovations with plans to reopen as a restaurant. Torres said he suspects that someone lit the fire to keep him from opening the business.

Inspectors visited the building Friday to check support beams that had been added during the construction. The beams passed inspection, said building inspector Greg Arvanitis. The entire structure was not inspected, Arvanitis said.

The inside of the building was cool Friday, and it did not appear that heaters were being used indoors, the inspectors said.

When firefighters visited the building last year, it had been gutted to the studs. The interior of the building was in roughly the same condition Friday, the inspectors said.

Torres said he had spent the last year trying to get permits to complete the project.

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