'Shouldn't Take This Long': Catoosa Neighborhood Frustrated With Fire Damaged, Abandoned Home They Say Is Safety Concern

Neighbors in Catoosa are worried a vacant house that burned down near Lynn Lane and Pine will collapse.

They say it’s a safety hazard, and they are hoping the city or someone will just demolish it.

One of the neighbors says he occasionally hears a loud noise coming from the house and says the house is a safety hazard for his block.

The house burned back in early September and six months later, it’s still falling apart.

Larry Upshaw lives one street over.

"I used to work in construction, and I know what it takes to get stuff done,” said Upshaw.

He’s upset the house hasn’t been demolished yet.

“It shouldn't take this long,” said Upshaw.

Other people living nearby are concerned about kids, worried they might be hurt if they’re playing nearby.

"At any time, kids could come out and get in there,” said Robert Lester. “There's really nothing stopping them. There's a little-bitty plastic fence and it doesn't go all the way around it. They can easily walk in there and get injured."

Lester is also concerned about how the damage could affect people outside of the neighborhood.

"Even when it rains and some of the debris and stuff washes out in the road, and you've got glass, you don't want that to go into the stormwater drain,” said Lester. “Who knows what chemicals are in there, from the home burning."

Lester hopes the problem will be fixed fast so neighbors don’t have to worry about it anymore.

"We would like for them to get concerned about it and try to at least get the house demolished,” said Lester. “That's all we're hoping for. Get it demolished and cleaned up so no one can get hurt."

The City of Catoosa sent News On 6 a statement that says in full:

“The State Fire Marshall is the lead in the investigation of the fire and residential destruction. The City is working with the homeowner along with the insurance company to remedy the remains of the fire. If there are concerns they need to be directed to the City of Catoosa Code Enforcement to properly take further action if necessary. We are still waiting on the insurance company so we can move forward with remediation.”