EXTERIOR SHOT, Front view of the Garden Park apartment building, photographed as crews start the demolition process on Tuesday, June 17, 2025, in Barboursville.
Demolition equipment sits behind a Garden Park apartment building as crews begin to tear down the fire-damaged structure on Tuesday, June 17, 2025, in Barboursville.
EXTERIOR SHOT, Front view of the Garden Park apartment building, photographed as crews start the demolition process on Tuesday, June 17, 2025, in Barboursville.
Demolition equipment sits behind a Garden Park apartment building as crews begin to tear down the fire-damaged structure on Tuesday, June 17, 2025, in Barboursville.
HUNTINGTON ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” The apartment building that burned down in March in the Garden Park Apartment complex is about 80% demolished as of Friday. There are no plans to rebuild.
The 21-unit building in the Pea Ridge area caught fire when a person in one unit on the lower level was cooking something and fell asleep, according to the building owner, Ron DeTemple, as the fire marshal told him.
By the time the person woke up in a different room, the unit was engulfed in flames. They escaped, but the fire was already spreading to the wooden deck and then the roof. It was also a windy night, which helped spread the fire quickly.
DeTemple said security and pet deposits were issued the day after the fire to all tenants who could be reached. DeTemple said they ended up applying one person's deposit toward the damage, which was about $2 million.
The insurance company sent a representative to handle all communication.
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œAny calls, inquiries or anything relating to that fire needed to go through that person because of potential liability,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ DeTemple said.
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œThe fire marshal and our insurance company prohibited us from entering 12 of the units. They said that they were not safe,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ he said.
He said that the other nine units look untouched except for that maybe someone had left in a hurry. He said there were people who wanted to go in and look for their belongings but the insurance company said it was not a good idea. Also, moving through a damaged structure requires special training. Instead, they offered to look through debris for specific items on the residentÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s behalf and direction.
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œAnd the one person was just so grateful that we were able to retrieve some of her stuff during this demolition process by putting a person in the bucket in the excavator and lifting them over into the place and her having told us where there were a few things that she would love to salvage,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ including a dress that sheÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™d worn in a pageant and her Bible, he said.
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œI feel such a feeling of helplessness with respect to what we were able to do for some of those people because the fire safety people, the fire marshal and our insurance company, outlined what it was we could and couldn't do. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥¦ It's been a very difficult time,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ he said.
DeTemple said the building was constructed in 1997. West Virginia began requiring apartments to have interconnected smoke alarms under legislation that became effective July 1, 2014. If one fire alarm is triggered, they all go off. The law does not apply to apartments built before the legislation.
The State Fire Marshal declined to answer questions regarding fire alarm laws for this story.
DeTemple said he plans to sell the complex, which has more than 200 units total.
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