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I <br />May 6, 2015 <br />On April 27, 2015 HPC Director Catherine Hostetler and I went to the <br />property located at 917 Leland Ave. I had been contacted by the owner, <br />Alex Scheidler to perform a walk through and offer some insight on <br />how to proceed on the home. A late night fire had occurred at the <br />house on March 27, 2015. Luckily the owner, his wife, and five children <br />were awoken by a neighbor whom had just arrived home. The official <br />cause is still unknown, but the damage is extensive. The rear of the <br />house in particular sustained heat high enough to blow out the rear <br />windows and melt the front door off of the dishwasher in the kitchen. <br />When I ascended the structure to the third floor, I determined the third <br />floor decking unable to hold my weight. We opted not to go any higher <br />but photographed the damaged instead. There is excessive char and <br />smoke damage throughout. The fire actually moved across the third <br />floor towards the front of the house, as evident by photographs <br />showing the burn marks on the front half circle window on the third <br />floor. Water damage from the fire crews and goes all through to the <br />first floor and the elements are entering through the holes in the roof. <br />The owner informed me that the estimates to repair the house are <br />more than the insurance was going to award them. I do not feel that <br />this house is repairable within their budget and timeline. I also feel that <br />some of the material towards the front of the house may be salvage- <br />able, but done properly and will still need a great deal of cleaning in <br />order to remove the soot and odor. <br />Steve Szaday-Preservation Specialist <br />