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SALT LAKE CITY — A home that exploded six months ago continues to be an eyesore and a potential safety hazard for a Provo neighborhood.
Fire investigators know a natural gas explosion caused the house to blow up, but they are still trying to determine if it was accidental or intentional. But what is left of the house and what was inside at the time continue to litter the neighborhood.
“I mean this is nightmarish, this is really bad,” Tim Buck, a resident in the neighborhood, said. “I feel this affects the whole feel of the neighborhood.”
Katy Gibbs, another resident and mother of young children in the area, expressed the same concerns.
“It really is just ugly to see. It is not pretty. It is not something we want our kids viewing everyday and have that in our lives,” Gibbs said.
But more than just the looks, residents have safety concerns as well.
A sign is the only thing trying to keep people out of the rubble. Neighbors saw a transient recently rummaging through the property.
“He just came with one of those shopping carts and he was picking up stuff from the house,” Priscila Wilson, another neighbor, said.
The mayor’s office insisted it has been pushing for the lot to be cleaned up, but with the property tied up in foreclosure, the office is talking to the city attorney about its options.
“This next week we are going to meet and sit down and talk about what we can legally do to the current owners of the home to make sure the demolition is taken care of in a timely manner,” Corey Norman, deputy mayor for Provo city, said.
Residents said they will keep pushing City Hall for the sake of their neighborhood.
“We are trying to get it cleaned up,” Paul Gibbs said. “We want it to be a friendly neighborhood and this just doesn’t give us the appearance or vibe of anyone looking to move into the area.”
City officials said they had already scheduled a meeting with the city’s legal department for next Monday. They said they are optimistic that they will be able to have something done on this property within a few weeks.
