Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:
Owners of the building where firefighter Daniel Capuano suffered a fatal fall Dec. 14 agreed to demolish the building at 9213 S. Baltimore Ave. The city filed an emergency motion to raze the warehouse one day after Capuano plummeted down an unprotected elevator shaft while fighting a small but smoky fire. City building department officials said the building’s owner did not have proper work permits and the removal of the elevator was unauthorized.
The owners will pay for the demolition. But before the Anilroshi building is razed, concerns about the property next door must be addressed, said Kimberly Roberts, a city attorney.
Fire and city health inspectors on Wednesday discovered 1,500 pounds of improperly stored ammonia at 9227-29 S. Baltimore Ave., a food packing plant that shares a wall with the building where Capuano suffered his fatal fall. Operations at that company were shut down Wednesday, and the city plans to file an emergency motion for demolition of the neighboring property next week, Roberts said. The city hopes to have both buildings demolished at the same time. The timeline for demolition is unknown.
Capuano’s wife, Julie, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit, alleging the building owner was negligent because the building had an open elevator shaft, gaping holes in the floor and no permits for major work at the warehouse, in violation of Occupational Safety and Health Administration and city standards.
A structural engineer told the judge that the Anilroshi building is structurally sound and is not in danger of collapse. Cummings said the owners will begin the demolition permit process, but that razing the building will be complicated because the property backs up to the Metra Electric 93rd Street station.
