Florida Fire Marshal still investigating RISE Doro fire, demolition to begin before end of the week

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The RISE Doro apartment complex is expected to be demolished as early as Thursday or Friday according to the city after it caught fire Sunday night.

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RISE Doro has contracted with ELV8 to facilitate the demolition.

According to Courtney Gordon, COO of RISE the demolition could begin as early as Thursday morning

Local businesses like Intuition Ale Works have been unable to open and street access on East Adams has been blocked off as the instability of the structure makes it a risk to public safety.

“As a seven-story structure with significant damage, the Rise Doro apartments pose an immediate threat to the surrounding area and businesses. The building has been condemned and the demolition process is moving forward safely and swiftly,” said Mayor Donna Deegan in a statement provided to Action News Jax Wednesday.

Despite the quick demolition, the State Fire Marshall’s Office told Action News Jax in a statement, “This fire investigation remains open and ongoing at this time.”

Action News Jax was told by sources within the office that the investigation can continue even in the absence of the structure, as investigators can still test samples of debris, and conduct interviews with witnesses and other involved parties long after demolition.

READ: City spokesperson said fire is under control, but what’s next for the RISE Doro apartments?

Gordon also noted insurance adjusters were on the ground Wednesday.

But as of Wednesday, there was still no clear answer as to how the fire that erupted in the building Sunday night began.

According to city permitting records, a pressure test of the fire safety system failed on October 13th of last year.

Ten days later it was given a partial pass and then on December 22nd, it passed inspection.

According to the Private Provider Association of Florida, state law requires inspections of those fire safety systems to be conducted by government inspectors.

According to JFRD, the final pressure test was scheduled for this week, and eight residents were expected to move in as early as this weekend.

The sprinkler system did not activate according to JFRD, and due to the incomplete construction, the fire was able to spread more easily into void spaces, which hampered firefighters’ efforts to directly douse the flames.

Gordon told Action News Jax it’s still too early to know when a rebuild may begin, but a downtown apartment complex is still the goal.

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