By KIM SMITH DEDAM
SARANAC LAKE — The cause of a fire that destroyed an apartment building at 55 Franklin St. early Saturday remains under investigation.
Saranac Lake Police Chief Bruce Nason said the place was vacant when fire tore through the green, two-story wooden building.
Neighbors reported hearing a pop, although allegedly power to the property was turned off.
“People were in the process of moving their property out,” Nason said as the investigation continued Monday. “All of the people in the building were evicted, as far as we knew.”
The building, with two apartments on the first floor and two on the second floor, is in foreclosure.
A notoriously rough place on an otherwise quiet street not far from Lake Flower, 55 Franklin was the site where a dog was stabbed and died recently, ending a dogfight involving a long-standing dispute between neighbors.
Nason said Saranac Lake Police had responded to about 42 complaints there since July 1.
“When people started moving out, calls to the location dropped significantly,” he said.
The building is a total loss.
One neighboring building sustained damage to an attic area.
Information about the owner or insurance was still not available Monday, since the property is in the process of being reclaimed by a bank.
Fire officials are investigating what caused the fire.
“We are working with Essex County head fire investigator William Minogue to attempt to determine where it started or how it started,” Nason said.
Volunteer firefighters from Saranac Lake, Bloomingdale, Paul Smith’s/Gabriels and Lake Placid responded to the blaze about 5:30 Saturday morning.
E-mail Kim Smith Dedam at:
kdedam@pressrepublican.com
