East Cleveland Mayor Orders Immediate Demolition of 1915 Building After Second Fire in Weeks

Mayor Sandra Morgan plans to order the immediate emergency demolition of a vacant three-story building in East Cleveland following a fire on Friday that marked the second blaze at the site in recent weeks.

Firefighters from East Cleveland and surrounding communities spent the evening battling the flames. The structure, located at the intersection of Euclid Avenue and Van Buren Road, caught fire just after 4 p.m. Initial reports indicated flames shooting from windows near the back corner before breaking through the roof. Euclid Avenue, a typically busy corridor, was blocked off during the response.

County records identify the building as a 1915 structure. It has been under the ownership of East Cleveland's land bank since 2023. Firefighters have not yet determined a cause for the fire, though they confirmed it was the second incident to occur at the property in a short period.

Mayor Morgan, who was at City Hall when the fire broke out, stated she saw the smoke from her office window. She described the scene as the most intense fire she has witnessed in her life and characterized the building as a danger to the community. "There's no two ways about it. It has to come down immediately," Morgan said.

Tammora Reed, who works across the street, has long viewed the empty building as a source of local issues. She attributed the fires to people entering the structure to use drugs, either accidentally igniting materials or doing so on purpose. "I'm worried that someone is going to die in there. Somebody's going to die in that building. Someone unhoused with no resources is going to go in there and perish. That's my concern," Reed said.

The mayor's decision to move forward with emergency demolition follows her assessment that the building poses a threat to residents along the Euclid Avenue corridor. The city will proceed with tearing down the structure following this Friday's fire.