Buildings so unsafe that Norwich Fire has labeled them to protect firefighters

In an effort to keep firefighters safe, the Norwich Fire Department has designated more than four dozen buildings as unsafe and "do not enter."

As of Thursday, there were 33 buildings marked as unsafe and 21 have been designated as "do not enter." A list of unsafe buildings is compiled, so firefighters know they must use extra caution when entering those buildings. The "do not enter" buildings are considered so unsafe that firefighters are prohibited from entering them.

The reasons for the buildings being considered unsafe range from unsafe stairs to being vacant or condemned. At times problems arise when people break into these buildings.

Fires in unsafe and 'do not enter' buildings

Tracy Montoya, chief of the Norwich Fire Department, said that most of the unsafe and "do not enter" buildings in the city are secured. However, this does not stop some people from breaking into the buildings.

“People go through security barriers,” Montoya said. “They break plywood or they cut through fences around properties. When we notice something we make a notification and between public works or the property owner, they’re pretty good about resecuring it. But it’s, as you can imagine, a never-ending task.”

Despite people breaking into the unsafe and "do not enter" buildings, Montoya said there have not been many fires reported in the buildings over the past year.

However, one such building on Fifth Street has seen its fair share of fires in recent years.

“The Capehart Mill is a hot spot,” said Norwich Fire Marshal Office Capt. Mark Gilot. “It’s at the end of the road and it’s in kind of a secluded area right along the river. There’s a lot of homeless people and drug activity that goes on there. We’ve had maybe a half a dozen fires in that building besides a major fire that really damaged the place."

There was even one two-month stretch of time where there were three fires at the mill. There are no utilities in the building.

More: Firefighters from 10 departments called to battle fire in abandoned Norwich mill

Montoya said the owner of Capehart Mill has been responsive to the fires.

“He put up fences, he put up cameras,” Montoya said. “He tried to secure it, but you’re talking about a two-and-a-half city block-sized property, perimeter-wise. So it’s very tough to secure. It’s secluded, it’s out of sight. There’s not a lot of foot traffic around there to see anything, so people can go down there and do what they want, sight unseen."

Is arson a concern in Norwich?

Gilot said there are a lot of fires in occupied homes and vehicles in Norwich. There have also been a few fires at homeless encampments recently.

“Individuals were not getting along and lit the place on fire,” Gilot said in regards to fires at homeless encampments.

Montoya said there are not many instances of fires in vacant buildings because people who spend time in them are usually there for shelter.

Concerns about homeless people in unsafe buildings

There are concerns about homeless people taking shelter in unsafe and "do not enter" buildings. Gilot said that the St. Vincent de Paul Place soup kitchen, located on Cliff Street in Norwich, does a good job of monitoring the whereabouts of homeless people.

“They’ll let us know where they are, so if we do have a fire there, we can look for those people,” Gilot said.

This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: Norwich CT Fire marks Capehart Mill, other buildings as unsafe