LYNN – Demolition of the burnt shell of the American-By-Products building, its garage and two storefronts on Andrews Street that were engulfed by a four-alarm blaze on Feb. 1, will begin by the middle of next week, according to attorney Sam Vitali.Representing Joe Cormier, the owner of the site, Vitali said the massive demolition process was a lengthy one.”He (Joe) has gone along in an orderly fashion for the demolition,” he said. “You can’t just go in there with a wrecking ball and tear down the building, you have to protect the environment, and protect the people by putting up a fence, and that all takes a little time to do.”Vitali said Cormier hired a licensed professional to survey the site and perform an examination of the ground to determine if it is contaminated.The fire, which was caused by spontaneous combustion of stored work gloves, gutted two storefronts that Cormier rented out to Hatch Hearing Aid Center and the office of Bratton & Springer LLP.The Good Samaritan Church was also severely damaged.Since the blaze, Gary Moody, owner of Hatch Hearing Aid Center, said his business has been holed up in a trailer across the street from the site.Despite the tight quarters that he called cozy, Moody said business has been steady.”We got up and running within 20 days of the fire with everyone’s help, and because our phone number is still the same, people have been able to find us,” he said. “We lost everything, but things can be replaced. Thank God no one was hurt.”The former site acted as a transfer station for American-By-Products that collects old grease from restaurants and transports it to local companies.Executive Director of the Economic Development & Industrial Corporation James Cowdell previously raised concerns over whether Cormier would rebuild in the same spot because the hazardous chemicals once housed in the building are in close proximity to downtown residents.Vitali said Cormier legally has the right to rebuild without city approval, but that it’s still too early for Cormier to make a determination.”It’s a hard question to answer, because he (Cormier) has to decide if he wants to be a landlord to the storefronts again, or if he just wants to suit his own needs for his business,” he said.Vitali said Cormier’s right to rebuild in the same spot with the same footprint as the last building is valid for one year from the blaze.After that, Vitali said Cormier would be subject to new guidelines for the site.”You also have to work with what the insurance company is going to give you, because the number to rebuild is different from the number that they are going to give,” he said. “They only pay you for what the building was worth.”Regardless of what Cormier decides to do, Moody said his business, which has been in operation since 1958, would remain in the city.”We were in Joe’s building for about nine years and before that we were across the street by the bank for eons,” he said. “So I’m not leaving the city.”