Arsonist struck one of my families buildings

WJHMH · Mar 29, 2007

This event makes me completely sick, the good news is no one was hurt, I inspected the building this afternoon & it is repairable depending how damaged the beams in the ceiling are, still waiting to hear from my cousins, insurance company, & building inspector on what will be done. It could have been a lot worse, only the apartment upstairs was damaged.

Arsonist piled books, papers high at Haltom theater

By JESSICA DeLEON AND DOMINGO RAMIREZ JR.

STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER

Editor's note: This report has been updated since its publication in Thursday's Star-Telegram.

HALTOM CITY An arsonist piled books, telephone books and papers on the floor of a second-story office at the Haltom Theater and ignited them late Wednesday, a fire official said.

The blaze caused about $20,000 damage to the refurbished theater and that figure could go higher, Haltom City Deputy Fire Chief Wes Rhodes said Thursday.

A side glass door was kicked in, Rhodes said.

The fire was contained to the office, but the blaze caused heavy damage, Rhodes said. The ceiling and roof also sustained damage, he said.

Smoke damage also was reported throughout the building, Rhodes said.

The Haltom Theater is considered a keystone in efforts to develop a new arts district in Haltom City.

The three-alarm fire was reported about 9 p.m. at the theater, 5601 Belknap Ave., Rhodes said. The fire was out by 9:30 p.m., and no injuries were reported, Rhodes said.

Firefighters were evidently able to protect the theaters museum, which is on the first floor, and the collection is apparently undamaged, said Betty Porter, president of the Birdville Historical Society.

"I was afraid it was burning," Porter said. "Im so thankful it wasnt."

A photo exhibit was set to open at the theater Monday but will likely be postponed, she said.

The collection includes memorabilia from Haltom City and the Birdville area that goes back a century, including an antique doll collection, said R.D. Milhollin, a member of the arts committee.

"This is a big chunk of Haltom Citys heritage," Milhollin said.

The theater opened in 1941 and closed in the 1960s. But the art-deco exterior was cleaned up for a December celebration of the theaters 65th anniversary, held by the Birdville Historical Society, Haltom Community Arts Committee and ARTSNET, based in Bedford. The city has been working to clean up Belknap Street, parts of which officials say suffers from crime and other parts dilapidation.

In the fall and winter, a consulting group hired by the city convened a series of public meetings attended by 300 people that offered suggestions for the Belknap Street revitalization plan. The idea was for the area around the theater to incorporate existing Asian businesses and a historical district highlighted by the Birdville Cemetery and horse trails.
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vrracr · Mar 29, 2007

sorry to hear bro. good luck with the restoration.

WJHMH said: ↑

This event makes me completely sick, the good news is no one was hurt, I inspected the building this afternoon & it is repairable depending how damaged the beams in the ceiling are, still waiting to hear from my cousins, insurance company, & building inspector on what will be done. It could have been a lot worse, only the apartment upstairs was damaged.
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writerguy · Mar 29, 2007

What would possess someone do do this?

wax · Mar 29, 2007

writerguy said: ↑

What would possess someone do do this?
Click to expand...

"The Haltom Theater is considered a keystone in efforts to develop a new arts district in Haltom City."

Could be somebody deadset against it.

Pop was a Fire Chief for many moons, saw all manner of arsonist's justifications for end/means/end. Regardless of "why," that blows.

WJHMH · Mar 29, 2007

I have no idea who wouldn't want to better their city but Im sure its motivated by profit, someone wanted this building destroyed. I'm sure something is running through someones twisted mind. One of own tenets, a furniture store was using the building for storage, tables, couches, big screen TV's, etc.. could have been stolen but were never touched. Here's a shot I took during better times, December 2006 65th anniversary party.

www.haltomtheater.com
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lovick1 · Mar 29, 2007

Profit can do crazy things to a person.

Sorry to see this happen. What a bummer to a really cool building.

lovick1 · Mar 29, 2007

There's a video clip of the coverage on the web site.

http://cbs11tv.com/video

BigTex · Mar 30, 2007

We lost the Mraz Dance Hall here last year.............

Two things my brudda,

Fire Alarm monitoring

Sprinkler system...

Any renovation in an ancient structure without hese features is like stacking bales of money on the curb, hoping it stays there.......

Good luck

The alarm system would be cheap and provide instant off site notification.......

LightGuy · Mar 30, 2007

That sucks Will, so sorry.
I dont get the mentality of someone who destroys buildings, people or whatever. I guess thats why jails exist, To seperate them from the rest of society.

WJHMH · Mar 30, 2007

There are motion detectors in the building but whoever started the fire knew where they were located & how not to set them off, unfortunately the side door boarded up (pictured next to the fire escape) leads to a set of stairs that go only to an upstairs apartment / office that was not monitored. It hasn’t been a movie theatre since 1984, after that it been a video rental business & a furniture store / warehouse. Makes me wonder about a spinkler system for that build but I'm sure to the cost was too high to hav one installed. Here's some other links if you want to learn more.

Photos from the night of the fire.
http://www.haltomcitycitizen.com/Haltom_theater_fire_photos.htm

Somene obviously doesn't want to see this happen.
http://www.haltomcitycitizen.com/Belknap%20Revitalization/EnvisionBelknap3_12_07.pdf

Updated Star Telegram article.
http://www.star-telegram.com/226/story/52925.html

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