Alisal and Main streets reopen after Dick Bruhn Building fire

Oldtown Salinas is returning to normal four days after a massive fire ripped through the Dick Bruhn Building. On Wednesday, the city reopened parts of Alisal and Main streets, which had been closed since Saturday.

A preliminary report by the city’s structural engineer found the main core of the building, the columns and the outside walls are stable. That’s why it’s been OK for investigators to go inside.

On Wednesday, ATF agents and Salinas fire investigators went into the Dick Bruhn Building to pinpoint the cause of the fire. Right now, there’s not a lot to go on. Cadaver dogs were also brought in to look for victims who may have been inside.

Wednesday was very windy, and overnight, material from the building blew over onto the Alisal side.

“Some metal facade that was actually on top of the corners that go around the way,” Salinas Fire Chief Ed Rodriguez said. “So we’re going to have our truck company come out in a little bit, see if we can get that stuff down, see if there’s anything we can pull down but ultimately, the cleanup of the building is going to be with the building owner. But we feel safe that the confines of the fence here that the public is safe.”

Also on Wednesday, KION received copies of the permits issued to the developers of the Dick Bruhn Building. A stop-work order was issued on Feb. 18, 2015 after it was discovered illegal construction work was going on inside. A city official said offices on the third floor were gutted and two dozen rooms were built.

The city says permitted asbestos removal was going on recently. However, the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office is looking into criminal or civil action against the developer for other asbestos removal related issues. We still don’t know what will happen to the building down the line. That’s up to building officials and the property owner, Berkley Inc.

Local shop owners say the road closures have hurt business. Along the 300 block of Main Street, parking spots were left open and outdoor dining tables were left empty.

“There’s no foot traffic in here,” said Kerri Peterson, owner of Downtown Gift Shops. “Usually, we’re busy on and off all day long and people don’t just come here to shop. They come because they like the feeling they get when they come into our store.”

Alohi Galicia says Downtown Gift Shops was banking on a busy Valentine’s Weekend, until the fire.

“I mean, you can look outside, it’s pretty much a ghost town,” Galicia said. “With them blocking the streets, it’s affecting all of the businesses.”

But the area is slowly returning to normal. Not only are the roads reopening, fire investigators are able to start looking at the cause now that the building has been deemed safe.

“The main core of the building, the columns, the outside walls, all the structural components are intact,” Rodriguez said. “We’ve been safe since this morning, to go in with our personnel with the assistance of ATF to try to determine the cause of the fire. That’s still ongoing.”