Fire-damaged former factory in West Haverstraw now demolished
The structure, once home to the former Temco Uniform site, was demolished after flames tore through it overnight.
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A fire destroyed an old factory building at 29 Samsondale Avenue in West Haverstraw on early Monday morning.
The structure, once home to the former Temco Uniform site, was demolished after flames tore through it overnight.
Firefighters battled the fire for hours.
A cause of the fire was still unknown as of Monday evening.
Spokesperson for Briar Court LLC Joe Sahadi said the fire came at a difficult time for the property owners.
"It's a shame because we were negotiating a sale on it. We were negotiating the taxes with the county. The back taxes. And this is a big setback for us," he said.
A public records search shows the Brooklyn-based LLC purchased the property in 2019 for $10,000.
Sahadi said the building did not have insurance, had been empty for years and was falling apart. He added they are unsure what will happen next.
"I just want to know what we can do with it. It's a shame," he said.
The site has long been a concern for local officials and residents because of the dry cleaning operations once conducted there created contamination concerns.
A state search shows the Department of Environmental Conservation sought public comment on the site as a potential Superfund location in 2018.
West Haverstraw Mayor Robert D’Amelio said the village has taken steps in recent years to address the deteriorating property.
"This property has been an eyesore for many many years," he said.
He added that the village issued multiple violations in 2022.
"And after no response, the village took the action. We fenced this in. We boarded up the building. We put a lien on it. The Village of West Haverstraw has recovered their lien by the way," D’Amelio said.
News 12 was still working to learn more about the property from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation as of Monday evening.
