Building owner prompts council to explore fire damage communication

By Mark Anderson

Managing Editor

A local business owner asked the Staples City Council about communication on when a property is damaged by a fire at an adjacent property.

At the March 10 council meeting, Allesia Gonier said she owns the building next to the Staples Theater building. When a fire broke out at the upper portion of the theater building, the Staples Fire Department used Gonier’s building to access the fire. She said there was damage to her roof and water seeped in and damaged the carpet in her building.

She said the new business she is putting in the building was about two weeks away, but the water damage now has made it four to six weeks away from opening.

Gonier said she talked to the owner of the theater building, Aaron Ekola, but he said he doesn’t have insurance on that building. She said she doesn’t want to report it to her insurance company because as a new policy holder, they could kick her off of that insurance.

Gonier said she only learned about the fire after talking to someone else. She asked the council if there was a procedure to inform property owners when there is a fire that affects their property.

Second fire

The theater building also had a second fire on March 4, which the council had discussed earlier in the meeting. City Administrator Jerel Nelsen said a police officer saw flames in the middle of the night and the Staples Fire Department was able to put it out. The fire marshal said the second fire was likely rekindled from an ember from the first fire. Nelsen said the fire marshal has not determined the cause of the first fire yet.

Gonier said she didn’t learn about the second fire either, until two days later.

“I expect to be informed when these things happen,” said Gonier.

The council was not sure if there is a fire department policy to inform adjacent property owners and said they would research it. The council discussed ideas on how to inform nearby landowners.

“We need to do everything we can to help a new business downtown,” said Mayor Ron Murray.