Buffalo Fire Commissioner Daniel Pizarro said investigators believed there was a human element involved because the abandoned building had no electrical or gas service
Officials have determined that the latest fire at Buffalo's former St. Ann's Church was intentionally set, marking the third fire at the historic property this year.
According to WIVB, fire crews responded to the former church on Emslie Street at approximately 5:45 pm Tuesday, bringing the three-alarm fire under control. Investigators later ruled the blaze was arson. The fire came just four days after another three-alarm blaze at the church and follows a four-alarm fire in January that caused an estimated $600,000 in damage to the former St. Ann's School building on the same property.
Following last Friday's fire, Buffalo Fire Commissioner Daniel Pizarro said investigators believed there was a human element involved because the abandoned building had no electrical or gas service. He also said firefighters had repeatedly encountered squatters inside the structure and found a makeshift bed near where the fire started. At the time, officials said persons of interest had been seen leaving the area but had not yet concluded the blaze was arson.
Pizarro also said firefighters were able to keep last week's fire largely confined to a rear addition, preventing significant damage to the church's historic sanctuary.
According to WKBW, Buffalo Common Council Majority Leader Leah Halton-Pope said the latest fire came only hours after she raised concerns with city officials about the condition of the property. "I literally just had a conversation this afternoon with a member of the administration asking what are we going to do about it and stressing that something has to be done over there to secure it, and then said it's probably going to be set on fire again, but I just didn't think it would happen today," Halton-Pope said.
Halton-Pope said she counted between eight and 10 fire trucks responding to the scene. "I know it's been said that it was arson, which is to be expected," Halton-Pope added.
She said the repeated emergencies have taken a toll on nearby residents.
"We have a lot of seasoned homeowners who live in that area, and so you add to that the smoke from Canada last week, then the fire on Friday, now more fire today," Halton-Pope said. "I'm worried about the health and well-being of the constituents that I serve, not to mention the safety and stability of those buildings on that property."
The repeated fires have intensified criticism of the property's ownership. Bernice Radle, executive director of Preservation Buffalo Niagara, accused the owners of refusing to address the deteriorating building. "The St. Ann's property owners are unresponsive and refuse to secure the building. Preservation Buffalo Niagara calls on the City of Buffalo to pull out all the stops to wrestle this landmark church from its negligent absentee owner. Enough is enough!"
The Gothic Revival church first opened in 1886. The Diocese of Buffalo closed the parish in 2013 after an earlier merger, and the property was later sold to Buffalo Crescent Holdings, which had proposed converting the site into a Muslim worship and community center. The building has remained vacant for years and has become the subject of repeated complaints from neighbors over its deteriorating condition.
Following January's fire, city officials discussed demolishing the property. In February, Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan said the city expected the property owners, not taxpayers, to pay the estimated $2 million cost of demolition.
Halton-Pope said she intends to pursue every available option to address the recurring problem, including fines and additional security measures. "And then there's a conversation with the police department to figure out who the arsons are because they should be held accountable," Halton-Pope said.
On Wednesday, Ryan said the city is examining legal options to force the owners to secure and maintain the abandoned structure. "The administration is actively exploring legal options to compel the owner to fulfill the responsibility to properly maintain and secure the building," Ryan said in a statement.
He added, "In the meantime, the Department of Permits and Inspections will continue regular visits to the property to assess conditions and secure the building if necessary."
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