ITEM FILE PHOTO
The 14 Bay View Drive home that caught fire on Sunday, July 3 in Swampscott.
BY GAYLA CAWLEY
SWAMPSCOTT — At least one of the two single-family homes destroyed in a five-alarm fire on Bay View Drive Sunday will be demolished.
“The building official has determined that 14 definitely needs to be torn down as soon as the investigators complete all of their stuff,” said Swampscott Fire Chief Kevin Breen. “We’re expecting 14 will be torn down by Friday.”
Breen said he and Building Inspector Manuel Bettencourt met with insurance companies and investigators Tuesday.
The blaze started in the yard between the two Colonial-style houses. The fire started at 14 Bay View Drive, which sustained heavy damage and collapsed. According to land records, Elise J. Dallimore and Steven P. Banks are listed as the owners of the nine-room home, valued at $495,700. Breen said four people were displaced from the home, which included a mother, father and two children.
The other residence at 10 Bay View Drive partially collapsed. Land records list Gary and Judith Golditch as owners of the eight-room home, valued at $597,600. Breen said three people were displaced from the dwelling — a husband, wife and adult relative.
Breen said it hasn’t yet been determined if 10 Bay View Drive will be demolished. He’s hoping the decision will be made this week. He said the insurance company is bringing in a structural engineer because “there’s reason to believe 10 will be partially salvageable.” He said the right rear corner of the house, which includes the roofing and down to the first floor, will have to be demolished, but the question is whether it can be blocked off and then rebuilt.
With 14, Breen said while the tear down is pending, the building is open to weather, raising fears rain could get into the building and add weight to unstable sections. He said the stability would be affected and portions of the house could fall down.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation by the State Fire Marshal’s office and the Swampscott Fire Investigation Unit. Nothing suspicious is suspected, Breen said.
The last Swampscott fire that resulted in the loss of a structure was December 2014, when Swampscott firefighter Anthony Pierro lost his home on Humphrey Street, Breen said.
Gayla Cawley can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @GaylaCawley.
