By Michelle Hunter
Copyright 2007 The Times-Picayune Publishing Company
Times-Picayune
JEFFERSON, La. — The two-alarm fire that razed a Shrewsbury apartment building Tuesday morning was definitely a tragedy and perhaps a miracle as well — depending on whom you ask.
The 26 residents who lived in the two-story building at 203 Shrewsbury Road in Jefferson lost their possessions and were left homeless. Fire officials said no one was injured.
But for the countless residents who lived near what one called “the hooker hotel,” the fire rid them of a neighborhood nuisance, what they called a hangout for prostitutes, pimps, johns, drug dealers and users.
“I’m glad that no one was hurt. As for that place’s demise, I don’t think that you’ll see a sad face around here,” said Frederick Madere, a nearby resident “It’s going to bring peace to this neighborhood.”
Investigators from the East Bank Consolidated Fire Department suspect arson in the 4:16 a.m. blaze, according spokesman George Rigamer. There was no word Tuesday night on whether any accelerants had been found.
But Rigamer said the fire may be linked to a domestic dispute that occurred in apartment No. 5 about 30 minutes before the fire started just outside the second-floor room in the hallway.
Rigamer said Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office investigators are looking for three unidentified people, including the room’s two occupants, for questioning. The Sheriff’s Office did not comment Tuesday.
Firefighters arrived at the scene about 4:20 a.m. and had the blaze under control by 5:08 a.m., Rigamer said. But the flames, which shot through the roof, caused the ceiling to collapse, leading to heavy fire damage on the second floor, Rigamer said. The first floor had smoke and water damage. Fire officials estimated the damage to the building at about $180,000.
The electricity to the building was shut off, forcing 15 families out of their homes. The Southeast Louisiana Chapter of the American Red Cross assisted a total of 26 people, two of them children, ages 7 and 16, according to spokeswoman Karen Collins.
With the building blackened and empty, residents of both the apartments and the surrounding homes were curious Tuesday about the fate of 203 Shrewsbury Road.
“I’d like it to be demolished,” said Jan Kettering, the neighbor who dubbed the place “the hooker hotel.” Kettering said she was often afraid when she came home alone at night. “It’s a haven for hookers and crack dealers,” she said.
Indeed, 203 Shrewsbury Road is listed in Sheriff’s Office incident reports as a high-crime area known for drug activity, racking up several arrests of residents and visitors over the past year.
The apartments, which resemble motel rooms, have come up as a source of scorn during several public meetings about crime in the area. Neighbors have complained to police and parish officials about apartment residents who executed drug deals in their driveways and tossed trash in their yards. Jefferson Parish Councilman Elton Lagasse’s office has fielded numerous complaints about the building, and sent code enforcement and fire inspectors over to clean things up.
Even the building’s supervisor, David Guidry, seemed to know Tuesday that neighborhood residents were happy to see the building burn.
“I understand that completely, I really do,” said Guidry, who was driving in from Lafayette to inspect the damage. After hearing the complaints when he took over the building six months ago, Guidry said, he spent a week there and couldn’t believe his eyes. “There was a whole racket going on in there.”
Ever since, Guidry said he’d been trying to turn things around. He installed video surveillance cameras and tried to bring the facility up to parish codes. But Guidry said even he could not circumvent the law and simply throw people out. He had to follow the eviction process.
“We’ve been slowly but surely getting rid of people, the prostitution and the drugs,” Guidry said.
He was unsure of the building’s future. But if it has to be demolished, Guidry said, he’d move toward two-bedroom apartment homes, something with more of a family atmosphere.
“We definitely don’t want it to be like it was before,” he said.