Syracuse Fire department fined for illegally demolishing home

Syracuse, NY – A fire department is being fined by the state for its role in burning down a lakeside house.

The Ira Fire Department had been requested by Anton and Linda Loewy, the property’s owners, to demolish the house to make way for them to have a retirement home built on the land. In exchange for its services, the couple agreed to make a $2,000 tax-deductible donation to the fire department.

However, the burning of the house violated several violations, including unlawful burning of solid waste in an open fire, illegal disposal of solid waste, and illegal release of asbestos. On top of the violations, the burning also caused hard feelings between the Ira Fire Department and the Plainville Fire Department because the lakeside property was within its fire district.

Local lawmakers had banned controlled burning in the district, and the proper authorities were not notified and did not grant permission for the burn. Plainville fire officials estimated that having the home demolished professionally and legally would have cost the Loewy couple about $10,000 to $12,000. It was believed that asbestos had been used in the house’s construction and the cost for proper asbestos removal would have been an additional $5,000 to $10,000.

The Ira Fire Department initially said the burning was part of a training exercise and that it had given notice to Plainville’s assistant fire chief, which Plainville Fire Commissioner Dan Power denied receiving.

The Ira department, its fire chief and the owners of the house were each fined $3,000 by the Department of Environmental Conservation.

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