Nearly a year after fire squashed the opening of a $60 million luxury apartment complex in Jacksonville’s downtown sports and entertainment district, the cause has been ruled undetermined, according to the state’s Bureau of Fire, Arson & Explosives Investigations.
“Based upon the fire scene examination, knowledge of fire development, firefighter and witness statements, coupled with supporting documentation, there was no conclusive evidence to indicate a specific cause of the fire,” the 63-page report concluded. “The first material ignited, and the ignition sequence were not identified to an acceptable level of scientific certainty within the area of origin. Due to the area of origin coupled with witness statements, the fire cause is most probable irregular electrical activity within the floor void.”
Kent Barber, project manager for the RISE Doro apartments, told investigators “the building had been experiencing electrical issues at the electrical control panel and they were waiting for a specific part to arrive to complete the repair.”
Workers at the 247-unit, eight-story complex at 960 E. Adams St. alerted a security guard to the fire at about 9:30 p.m. Jan. 28. Some cleaning crew members detected an odor of “plastic burning” and one described it as “electrical cable” toward the upper floors.
“Based on the observed fire patterns and area of most damage, I determined the area of origin to be within the floor void of the seventh floor on the southwest quadrant of the structure,” one of the lead investigators determined.
Fire quickly spread collapsing part of the floor at that level as flames shot out of the roof. City officials said it didn’t help that the sprinkler system was not on because it was due to have a pressure test within the week.
The blaze lasted well into the next day as Fire and Rescue Department Chief Keith Powers said 110 firefighters responded. The building was a total loss and had to be demolished, but no one was injured.
What’s next for the RISE Doro apartments?
In September, the City Council approved a $15.45 million incentives package to encourage RISE: A Real Estate Co. to rebuild.
Greg Blais, president of the Jacksonville-based company, previously told the Times-Union that the “hopeful target” for starting reconstruction was September and it would likely take about 18 months into early 2026. He said being able to keep concrete portions such as the parking garage and podium has been beneficial. The Times-Union left messages for him Monday and Tuesday seeking reaction to the investigation and an update on the project but has not heard back.
“The city’s been a strong partner through the last six months since the fire,” he said in June. “We have a mutual interest in getting residents living in the sports complex as quickly as possible.”
Tuesday, workers could be seen making progress on the property.
Billed as a “transformative project” for downtown’s sports and entertainment district, RISE Doro was being built on the former site of a disused fixture-manufacturing company. It was scheduled to formally open March 1 before the devastation took place.
One contractor in the report told investigators he had concerns about “shoddy” work at the site and suspected a lapse in proper permitting and inspections.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Cause of fire undetermined at RISE Doro apartments in Jacksonville