JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Heavy equipment moved into place Friday morning and crews began what will likely be a weekslong process to tear down the RISE Doro apartment building following a devasting fire.
A crane began tearing off parts of the top corner of the $60 million building before 6:30 a.m. Friday but then work abruptly stopped to allow for JEA to work on transformers in the area. It resumed shortly before 10 a.m. Crews are expected to work on the demolition for 10 hours each day.
A worker told News4JAX that anywhere from 35 to 60 workers a day will use excavators and a crane with a boom, or arm, of more than 100 feet to tear the 80-foot-tall building down to its foundation. The concrete garage will remain.
RISE Doro Update: Demolition of the building began this morning. The City, @THEJFRD, @jaxready, and investigating agencies have all determined that the building is unsafe for first responders and investigators to enter – and that there is the potential for collapse. As a… pic.twitter.com/hJvPllKTRv
— Mayor Donna Deegan (@MayorDeegan) February 2, 2024
The city of Jacksonville approved an emergency demolition permit naming ELEV8 Demolition of Jacksonville as the contractor for the project.
The city wants the building to come down quickly so work to rebuild can begin, but the demolition crew and the city also want to make sure the building comes down safely.
Joshua Walker, who will be working on the $1 million demolition project, urged everyone to be patient.
“It’s going to take time. Either way, we’re going to have to do everything safely and efficiently,” Walker said. “We’re just going to definitely have to be patient. We don’t want to rush.”
Walker said he’s grateful no one was injured when the massive fire sparked Sunday night. It was still smoldering Wednesday as firefighters worked to put out hot spots so the demolition phase could begin.
Mayor Donna Deegan said this week that city engineers determined the building was unstable and that the wood-framed portions would need to come down.
Elev8 Demolition workers said Wednesday that the company, which is off Heckscher Drive would be issuing a public statement about the process.
The apartment building, which sits on 1.38 acres along A. Philip Randolph Boulevard between Adams and Forsyth streets, was supposed to open to its first eight tenants this weekend.
But now the project will be taken back down to its foundation, and those tenants must move elsewhere.
RELATED: A brief history of RISE Doro apartments, the $67M downtown complex that caught fire before opening | What’s next for the downtown apartment building marred by devastating fire? | Wood-frame construction, like what was used in RISE Doro, is common in Florida because of its cost. But there are risks
The fire weakened the seven-story building’s wooden structure. As thousands of gallons of water poured onto the building to overpower the flames, the flooring became compromised and made the building unstable.
Several walls have blown out and at least one floor collapsed.
RELATED: RISE developer says he ‘absolutely wants to see a rebuild’ after fire destroys Downtown apartment complex | Timeline: Luxury apartment complex in Downtown Jacksonville goes up in flames weeks before opening
Until the building is torn down, roads and businesses surrounding the property will remain closed because of concerns the building could collapse. That will affect traffic heading to Friday night’s Jacksonville Icemen game at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. The arena garage will also remain closed.
People will be able to park in Lots J & P at EverBank Stadium. Parking is available only on the north side of the complex. You’re asked to avoid the south side of the arena.
The devastating fire initially sparked around 9:30 p.m. Sunday on the building’s sixth floor. No injuries were reported in the fire, which is still under investigation.
The city said investigations by the Florida Bureau of Fire, Arson, and Explosives; U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; and the property owner’s insurance company have been underway, and that work will continue in parallel to the demolition work. The investigating organizations are collecting information by other means. Given that no person can go into the building itself, there was not a reason to endanger public safety by holding up the demolition process, the city said.
City officials said they learned that the building’s fire sprinkler system did not activate because a final pressure check inspection had not been completed. It was scheduled for this week.
The city of Jacksonville compiled a list of “Frequently Asked Questions” regarding the RISE Doro demolition status and fire investigation.
Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis, who is the State Fire Marshal, joined us on The Morning Show to discuss the RISE Doro fire: