JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Until the fire-gutted RISE Doro apartment building can be torn down, the surrounding streets, a nearby parking garage and several businesses will remain closed.
The devastating fire, which has been burning since Sunday night, has left the brand-new luxury apartment building unsafe and at risk of collapse.
“That’s about an 80-feet-high building and the height of that building all the way out, 80 feet away from the building is a collapse zone,” Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Chief Keith Powers said.
During a news conference Monday evening, Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan said public safety is their No. 1 priority.
“As soon as we can do it, the wood framing in that building will be coming down,” Deegan said.
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But until then, the following road closures, including sidewalks, are in effect “until further notice”:
- Duval Street East from Georgia Street to Palmetto Street
- Adams Street from A. Philip Randolph Boulevard to Lafayette Street
- A. Philip Randolph Boulevard from Duval Street to Bay Street
- Gator Bowl Boulevard from Lafayette Street to Georgia Street
Deegan said fans will still be able to go to this week’s Jacksonville Icemen games at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, but the garage next to the RISE Doro building will be closed.
So will several local businesses.
“As far as business closures, unfortunately, Intuition Ale Works, Manifest Distilling and the offices across A. Phillip Randolph Boulevard also are in the collapse zone,” Deegan said.
Both Manifest Distilling and Intuition released statements on their Facebook pages about the closures.
Manifest Distilling thanked their patrons for sending them well wishes and said it had been a wild day.
Intuition expressed gratitude for JFRD’s efforts to control the fire and prevent injuries.
“The fire was devastating, but it could have been so much worse if not for the immediate actions of the firefighters and first responders,” the distillery wrote. “We would also like to thank Mayor Deegan and her administration for their proactive support and commitment to public safety.”
The road closures are also affecting a job fair that was planned for Thursday at 121 Financial Ballpark. The fair is being moved to Feb. 8 from 4-7 p.m. The Jumbo Shrimp’s other two preseason job fairs, set for 10 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 10, and 10 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturday, March 16, are still on as scheduled.
Powers said on The Morning Show on Tuesday that some of the parapet walls around the top of the building collapsed inward. He also pointed out that on Monday evening, there was a blowout on the back corner by Lafayette Street, causing part of the back wall to partially bow out.
Powers said engineers will be working with the building owners to determine what the next steps are to make the building safe for the community, and in the meantime, the building will be surrounded by JFRD crews as they continue to pour water on the building to control the hot spots.
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According to Deegan and Powers, the sprinkler system in the building was in place but needed one final pressure inspection before it could be activated. That inspection had been scheduled for this week.