Windsor City Council is saying no to demolishing a home destroyed by fire on Mill St.
The vote Monday night was 6-5 against a request by the Detroit International Bridge Company, which owns the Ambassador Bridge.
Arsonists have hit the house three times already, and Director of Canadian Government Relations Stan Korosec says the request is about public safety.
"Our fear is that someone is going to try and go in there again and finish the job, and really get hurt," says Korosec.
City council has typically denied demolition requests in Olde Sandwich Towne where a Community Improvement Plan, and bylaws to preserve heritage buildings are in place. Over the years, the city has expressed numerous concerns the bridge company will tear down homes on Mill St. and Indian Rd. to make way for a bridge plaza, but Korosec says the request has nothing to do it.
"One house is not going to be treated by us like it's permission to tear them all down," he insists.
Korosec says the company has erected a fence around the property and conducts regular patrols in the area, but admits security will not catch every arsonist.
There have been many fires in vacant homes in the neighbourhood.
He says he wanted to go on record at the council that the motivation behind the demolition request is only about safety.
"We'll tear it down tomorrow," says Korosec. "Literally, we would, just to make it safe."
