Developer plans to build new complex on site of deadly SouthPark fire

CHARLOTTE — New apartments will be built on the site of the colossal SouthPark Charlotte fire where two construction workers were killed in May, according to our partners at The Charlotte Observer.

A developer from Florida has plans to demolish the remnants of the old building and fully rebuild the complex, The Observer reports.

On May 18, the building was under construction when flames engulfed it, killing workers Demonte Tyree Sherill and Reuben Holmes, who were both on the sixth floor.

First responders rescued 15 other workers, including a crane operator who was stranded 160 feet in the air for over an hour with the crane on the verge of collapsing. The operator was successfully rescued by Charlotte firefighters, and no first responders were injured.

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Massive fire breaks out in SouthPark area of Charlotte

Charlotte Fire Department Chief Reginald Johnson said the cause of the fire was accidental and began in a spray foam insulation trailer at the site.

A month after the blaze in June, CFD said one of the contractors building the apartment complex was in violation of the state fire code. No fire inspection was completed at the SouthPark construction site, where the five-alarm fire happened, according to The Observer reporter.

According to CFD, the contractor did not inform the Charlotte Fire Marshal’s office about the apartment’s construction and progress, as Mecklenburg County requires.

On Tuesday, a statement given to The Observer by Boca Raton-based Mill Creek Residential said it plans to rebuild both buildings at the SouthPark site “despite the tragic fire that occurred on May 18.”

According to Mecklenburg County records, a demolition contractor filed for a permit in July to complete the tear-down of what’s left of the structure.

The permit, granted earlier this month, says, “There was a tragic fire during the construction of this building. RCI is going to be demolishing the two concrete platforms that remained after the fire.”

According to The Observer, Mill Creek Residential filed for demolition of another badly damaged under-construction building nearby during the five-alarm fire.

At the site, construction crews were building two structures, known as twin apartment buildings. The Observer reports that the demolition permit was filed on Monday, but the second permit has not yet been approved.

“We hope to complete all demolition activities by the end of 2023 and start the rebuild process immediately thereafter,” a Mill Creek spokesperson said in a statement to The Observer Tuesday, “The plans for the community will remain the same.”

According to The Observer, Mill Creek Residential is working with both state and local authorities to investigate the circumstances behind the fire. The construction company said in a statement that safety will be its top priority and that their company projects “are designed and constructed to comply with local and national safety codes,” the Mill Creek spokesperson said. “We will also continue to implement best practices to help avoid situations like this in the future, including during construction.”

PREVIOUS STORIES:

• Dispatch audio: Firefighters navigate quick-spreading SouthPark fire
• 2 dead after fire rips through SouthPark construction site
• Deadly SouthPark construction site fire started accidentally, chief says
• ‘A good man’: Father of 4 dies in construction site fire in SouthPark, family says
• ‘Chaotic scene’: Witnesses describe blaze at SouthPark construction site
• Construction worker rescued from top of crane during huge fire in SouthPark
• Fire starts at second building near 5-alarm fire in SouthPark

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Charlotte firefighters closer to earning raise following deadly SouthPark fire

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