Hey Rob....

[MJT]

Do you know what exploded in Fairport yesterday? There was a bunch of people gathered behind my house/on the tracks watching, since you can see right across the river from there. Even the news helicopter came circling around a while later. Know anything?

[My1stCamaro92RS]

Trying to find out ourselves but possibly one of the condos went up in flames. We have a friend who works in the FD and waiting to hear from him. I'm sure it'll be in the news herrald. Later in the evening, cops, sheriffs, even ranger vehicles were crisscrossing the town as if looking for someone. For such a small town, this place can be jumping at times.

[My1stCamaro92RS]

Here's the story. These are the new condos just as you come into town from P'ville. [url]

Officials were called to Hidden Harbor Estates about 2 p.m. Friday for a fire in progress at 577 Hidden Harbor Drive, a 2-year old subdivision off High Street. The flames could be seen for miles away.

"When we pulled out of the station, we could see the black smoke," Fairport Harbor Fire Capt. Bob Fitzgerald said. "People said they could see it in Perry, too."

The building - which was about halfway finished - was fully engulfed in flames by the time firefighters arrived and officials did not know whether anything was salvageable, Fitzgerald said.

According to Fairport Harbor Fire Department Lt. David Burrier, damage estimates last night were between $750,000 and $1 million.

"All I saw was big, thick smoke," said nearby resident Jan McClurg. "It was so thick - it was black. We were hoping it was under construction."

Heat damage occurred to several nearby structures - including at least one finished condo and the Riverside Yacht Club, according to reports.<br />Rescue workers were investigating whether anyone had been working on the condominium before it caught on fire.<br />"We're still looking to see if anyone was here or not," said the captain.<br />Officials did not know if anyone had purchased the property yet. <br />Firefighters from Perry Township, Mentor, Painesville and Painesville Township provided mutual aid.

[MJT]

wow! I talked to a friend of ours that works for the town, and he said all they knew was that plumbers had just left after working on the place. Wrong pipes maybe?

[My1stCamaro92RS]

I stopped down there today and the only thing you can see are the charred remains of the studs. How they determined it caused between 750,000 and 1 million dollars is a mystery and laughable. If I was an insurance investigator, I'd be going thru the mess with a fine tooth comb as there's no way whatever burned was worth that much.