JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Demolition is set to begin Friday morning on the Rise Doro apartment building in Downtown Jacksonville, according to a company spokesperson.
On Thursday evening, the largest pieces of equipment yet were moved onto the site. The Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department was still putting out a hot spot Thursday morning, a fire captain tells First Coast News.
First Coast News spoke with people whose livelihoods depend on how soon the demolition happens. Businesses like Manifest Distilling are nearing a week of lost business and the vice president still doesn’t know when they’ll be able to reopen.
“It's devastating,” said Manifest Distilling Vice President Jim Webb. “And it just makes me sad. Every day a little bit more of the reality seeps in.”
Webb says they are still able to pay their dozen or so employees.
“We're maintaining payroll for everybody at the company throughout this catastrophe,” he said. “I'm not trying to be dramatic, but I mean, this is such a setback on so many levels.”
There’s still no word on the cause of the fire. The $1 million demolition could go into April, according to RISE.
“I can't imagine how disheartening all these workers are,” Webb said. “Like, ‘I spent the last two years building this building and it's gone.’”
Webb says he knows the demolition team is made up of experts and they'll do it right, but the proximity of his business to the large building coming down does make him nervous. Only a street and two sidewalks separate the two buildings. A Rise Doro spokesperson says they worked with the city to put up a fenced barrier to minimize the risk.
RISE’s spokesperson says their parking garage appears stable, according to city engineers. Webb says his business isn’t damaged, but he has yet to see what smoke may have ruined inside.
“I'm just so glad that we have a great fire department that was able to contain this,” he said.
Webb says when Manifest Distilling reopens, they and Intuition plan to hold a party to thank first responders.
RISE provided an update Friday afternoon.
"The demolition and debris removal has begun at the RISE Doro site in downtown Jacksonville. RISE remains grateful to our partners who are working to accomplish these goals as safely and quickly as possible and is thankful to the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department, the City of Jacksonville, and the Florida Bureau of Fire, Arson, and Explosives for their diligent work to ensure a safe and efficient process as we move forward," the developer said.