Police have arrested a man accused of starting a massive fire at an abandoned building on Main Street in Hartford, prompting plans to tear down the historic structure.
Firefighters responded to 1363 Main Street in Hartford, a building built in 1890, after a bystander spotted the blaze around 3:44 a.m. Thursday.
Kenneth Onalty, 46, was spotted inside a second-floor window. Emergency responders pulled him from the burning building and took him to St. Francis Hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation, according to officials.
Police said Onalty admitted to "squatting" inside the abandoned building for two months and burning a paper bag inside.
He has been charged with third-degree trespassing and reckless burning.
The smoke and flames from the building at the corner of Main and Ann Uccello streets could be seen for miles.
Firefighters spent three hours battling the blaze, allowing fire to burn through the roof instead of sending firefighters inside. They then fought the flames from above.
"It caused great concern. Being a vacant building, we weren’t sure of the condition of the interior of the building," said Deputy Fire Chief David Serpliss.
Crews set up a collapse zone and ripped down a billboard on top of the building over concern it would precipitate a collapse before demolition on Friday.
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"It has to be taken down in two sections, being careful not to damage the sidewalls that are holding the beams up, otherwise the whole thing will come crashing down," said Bruce Devaney, of Environmental Sciences, Inc.
South Windsor-based company Environmental Services, Inc. applied for a permit for emergency demolition
“The city is extremely worried about the sign up on top. It is basically holding the top of the building together, so the plan for today is to knock off that sign and get it on the ground,” said Devaney.
The demolition is expected to continue into Saturday.
