Speaking of Fires…

On August 29th, 2010 at 4:28 am a three-alarm fire was reported in a building structure with six businesses at 306 N. Raymond Ave. About 80 firefighters from the Fullerton Fire Department, Brea Fire Department, Anaheim Fire Department and the Orange County Fire Authority were dispatched to bring the fire under control.

Fullerton Fire Marshal Julie Kunze told the Register “The structure itself is a total loss. We’re estimating the structure itself at probably $2.2 million with unknown content.”

The fire department has taped off portions of the parking lot, as charred debris covered the ground around the badly burned building. The roof had completely collapsed.

That was six months ago. Today the charred building is still charred and the site is now a real eyesore. How long should it take for the city to issue a notice to abate the public nuisance?

If this mess were in Sunny Hills, would it be any different?

47 Replies to “Speaking of Fires…”

  1. There is something wrong when business owners refuse to rebuild. I bet the rest of the property is hoping the redevelopment agency moves in a buys the whole block!

    1. Uh, if they’re not rebuilding yet it’s probably because they’re waiting for a kick-ass offer for the property from the Redevelopment Agency!

  2. 80 firefighters. Total loss.

    Here’s a painful irony: that the building is stand alone. The exact same result would have occurred if those 80 “firefighters” just stayed in their stations watching TV, jogging, sleeping, etc.

    Looks like the fire won the fight. Again.

    1. “The exact same result would have occurred”

      No, there would be a small pile of ashes to clean up instead of all that burnt framing.

  3. Rudy stole my thought.

    80 FF from Fullerton, Brea, anaheim and the OCFA? once it was contained from spreading…..let it go.

    The guys got to look cool though.

    1. I wish Fullerton had a better selection of restaurants. Although we have plenty of them, the majority are either fast food, or very small. I struggle to find places that can seat a group of 10-12 people unless I’m ready to pay $25 a head. Usually we end up dining in Brea or Anaheim for this very reason.

      IMHO, Fullerton restaurants are lacking in:
      1. Steakhouses
      I think the Black Angus on Imperial/Harbor is closed and the closest Outback is in north Brea.

      2. Buffet-style restaurants
      I like Sizzler, but I wish there were alternatives. Ever eaten at a Golden Corral? They are rare in California, but their buffet puts Sizzler and even Soup Plantation to shame.

      1. If you’ve been taking your 10 or 12 friends to Black Angus and Sizzler, I’d say you’re pretty lucky that they haven’t stopped talking to you already.

        Geez man, stop stuffing yourself full of that bland mass market, thaw-n-fry garbage and go eat at some decent local restaurant that spends their budget preparing good food instead of tv advertising. It doesn’t even have to cost more, but it sure will taste better.

  4. Although they were not able to save the building it does appear they kept the fire from spreading to any other nearby structures. Those palm trees in the 2nd pic could have gone up like huge roman candles and spewed burning embers for quite a distance. As for the charred remains still there nearly 6 months later, yeah, that’s definitely an eyesore *but* there may be a backstory in there as well (cause of fire vs. insurance company vs. coverage etc.)

    1. “Although they were not able to save the building it does appear they kept the fire from spreading to any other nearby structures.”

      Bullshit. The thrift store and Chinese restaurant were in a single building. There was zero threat of this thing spreading.

  5. Speaking of McDonald’s, does anyone know why it’s on the agenda for the closed session council meeting next week?

  6. Hey Cheesehead, who needs chain eateries? One of the things I like about Fullerton is the variety of independent restuarants.

    1. That’s fine, Fullerton Savage. I don’t care whether it’s big name or not, the frustration for me still holds: We’re lacking in the types of restaurants I described. No steakhouses to speak of, very few places that offer a buffet of any sort, and even fewer places that are able to seat a large group.

        1. I agree Stubriks is a great steakhouse, but like many of the downtown establishments, it’s more of a bar that happens to also serve food. I hate that.

          Places like Stubriks aren’t well suited for family dining. When relatives are visiting from out of town, I prefer to take them some place quiet to eat … away from the intoxication, and the puking, and the urinating in public places.

          Downtown Fullerton is an embarrassment in many ways.

        2. ADMIN,

          I ran into a collegue from Chicago this week in Anaheim. The first thing Pete said was:

          “DKM what was that place you took us to, with the upstairs and killer steaks……….not to mention the stroganoff”

          the answer: STRUBRICKS 5 miles up Harbor! (just don’t drink too much!)

  7. On a Friday or Saturday night occasionally we eat dinner as late as 9:00pm. I’ve personally SEEN men and women urinating in the parking lot by the Amtrak station. They’re not at all discreet about it. Men will often piss against the wall at Terry’s Automotive and women will squat between cars. Next time you’re there, look for mysterious stains on the asphalt.

    1. Those are the local indigents who hang out at the train station all day. They piss and crap in the bushes in broad daylight. And they get their liquor at Arco, not Stubriks.

      1. Wrong.
        These people (usually in their 20’s) get out of their cars, urinate, then head for one of the bars. Or vice-versa. It is not, I repeat not anybody that hangs out at the train station.

          1. Yeah, good luck with that. On a Friday or Saturday night, the cops are already stretched thin dealing with the drunks assaulting or even stabbing each other, crashing their cars, and causing other problems. The police do step up patrols of this area to control the drunks, and one time I did flag an officer down to report a fresh puddle of urine. But by that time it was too late.

      1. Some guy was peeing in my front yard just last week. I don’t live anywhere near downtown or a bar. He drove off in a white Ford.

  8. Cheesehead is right. I’ve seen people uinating on walls right out in the open downtown. Watch out for mysterious bottles of yellow liquid left on sidewalks too.

    1. I’m told that many of them go back and forth between the downtown bars and dancing at Incahoots down on Lemon near the 91. They’re either too drunk or too lazy to find a bathroom, so they use our public sidewalks and parking lots to do their business.

      1. Welcome to America.

        You know on of Green Bays famous son’s picked up a DUI (dismissed) a year or so back after leaving the Slide Bar.

        Nothing like a SuperBowl ring to get you off….and a few autographs!

        1. Hey dkmfan,

          Are you aware that someone is going around the blogosphere using your moniker to smear folks? They keep saying something about me stealing your Packers jersey whatever that means.

          1. Yeah, I saw some claims that we were/are one in the same.

            From my view, if these same folks spent a fraction of the time addressing problems in thier own communities, things might be better.

            Besides, these same guys are about as subtle as an avalanche when trying to bait you and I into a conversation. Whatever.

  9. Cheesehead :and one time I did flag an officer down to report a fresh puddle of urine. But by that time it was too late.

    You actually reported a puddle of urine to the cops? I bet you felt silly.

    1. The cop was riding his motorcycle right past me. All I had to do was wait for him, and he stopped. So, no, I didn’t feel silly at all.

  10. Cheesehead :
    Yeah, good luck with that. On a Friday or Saturday night, the cops are already stretched thin dealing with the drunks assaulting or even stabbing each other, crashing their cars, and causing other problems. The police do step up patrols of this area to control the drunks, and one time I did flag an officer down to report a fresh puddle of urine. But by that time it was too late.

    Stretched thin? They’re probably hanging out at a DUI checkpoint racking up some overtime. Stretched thin, heh.

    1. Do you realize how frequently the police and fire have to respond to the downtown bars on a Friday or Saturday night?
      I’m not saying there aren’t cops in other places wasting time. I have no idea if that’s true or not.

  11. You’ve done it again FFFF! 33 highly entertaining comments that have almost nothing to do with the original post! What’s better than a little FFFF on a Friday afternoon?

    1. What he said.

      I admit I helped derail the thread but the idea of 80 “firefighters” standing around peeing into this conflagration until it burned down and they went home was too irresistible to pass up.

    1. Let’s say that building had a perimeter of 1000 feet. That would be a hero for every 12 linear feet of building. And what was accomplished?

      It could have been burned down just as effectively with 40; or 20; or none!

  12. 80 times $100 times what, three hours? 24,000 bucks to watch a building burn down.

    Of course that $24,000 would have been wasted whether they left the station or not.

  13. Tony, it might be time to post the photos from the Great Airsoft Caper of ’09. 11 FPD cars and 18 year old boys drawn down at gunpoint with 3, $15 clear plastic airsoft guns with orange tips lying on the ground in front of them. And, the neighbor telling the cops that they were airsoft guns as he was out there watering his trees while the boys were shooting each other.

  14. When they get to the bottom of that pile, perhaps they can find the two hard drives I had at the new computer repair shop.

    The property was in tough shape since the property next door upgraded to an empty lot. Then came Walgreen’s.

    Perhaps it should return to it’s roots as an empty lot, clean, slick, and devoid of any trash, litter, or burnt, rusted chairs.

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