Fire victim faces fine, jail
Ray Ward didn't think things could get much worse after a Dec. 28 fire at a neighboring property spread to his Nunan Street house and burned it beyond repair.
But then, the city of Charleston stepped in.
Ward received a letter from the city last week threatening to fine him $1,000 or toss him in jail for 30 days if he didn't demolish and remove the charred building within 10 days. The missive stunned the retired pharmacist, who is still trying to navigate the claims process with his insurance company.
"I was really surprised by that," Ward, of Folly Beach, said Friday. "I have enough to deal with without some bureaucrat jumping on my back."
Charleston officials said they are sympathetic to Ward's plight and are willing to work with him to resolve the problem. But the city cannot allow an unsafe building to linger on the street without some sign of progress toward getting it removed, said Tim Keane, city director of planning, preservation and sustainability.
"Our concern is maintaining the safe condition of the property. Public safety is number one," he said. "We will bend over backward to work with the owner of the property. We just want to make sure he is making progress."
Ward bought the two-story home at 11 Nunan St. in 2005 with the idea of renting it out and supplementing his retirement income. He was doing just that when fire struck three days after Christmas.
Authorities said a 14-year-old boy set fire to curtains in 13 Nunan St. and then tossed them onto a couch after going to the house to fight someone.
The blaze quickly turned into a raging inferno that destroyed the house and two neighboring homes, including the one owned by Ward.
Charred timbers and scorched bricks line what's left of the porches of Ward's house, and the sun shines bright through gaping holes in the roof. The interior is a blackened mess of debris. An orange sign on the front facade states that a building inspector has deemed the structure unsafe.
On Monday, the city sent a livability court notice to Ward declaring that his building is a public nuisance and needs to be completely removed within 10 days. An accompanying letter states the building was found vacant and unsecured, creating a public safety hazard. The letter warns of potential fines or jail time if he fails to act.
Keane said the letter was sent after Ward failed to return many phone calls concerning his property. The owners of 13 and 15 Nunan St. were addressing their responsibilities, and the city needed to make sure Ward was at least moving toward obtaining a demolition permit, Keane said.
"Usually, the neighborhood appreciates it when derelict and dilapidated properties are taken care of and not left in an unsafe condition," Keane said.
Ward said he has spoken several times with fire officials, but no one from code enforcement called him. He has every intention of junking the house, but he's still working through a claim with his insurance company and trying to figure out how to go about hiring a demolition company, Ward said.
Ward said city officials told him they would extend his deadline to 30 days, but he has received nothing in writing to that effect.
Westside Neighborhood Association President Arthur Lawrence suspects the city took quick action because the neighborhood recently expressed its dissatisfaction with the pace of city efforts to address derelict buildings.
He applauded the push to remove 11 Nunan St. but questioned why the city didn't just bulldoze the structure and bill the owner.
"It's an eyesore, and it needs to come down," Lawrence said.
Keane said the city prefers to work with property owners and have them take care of the demolition, a less costly and time-consuming process for taxpayers.
Ward said he welcomes any help offered to speed up the process with his insurance company, which still wants to have engineers examine the structure.
"If anything good came out of the bureaucratic letter I got, it's that the guy says the building is not fixable."
Reach Glenn Smith at 937-5556 or on Twitter at @glennsmith5.
