Fire on Commonwealth & Basque 5/13/07

By HEATHER IGNATIN, RONALD CAMPBELL and BARBARA GIASONE
The Orange County Register

A four-alarm blaze today gutted the old Kohlenberger building in Fullerton, recently acquired to be converted to condos for Cal State Fullerton faculty housing.

Ninety firefighters fought the fire, in the 1600 block of W. Commonwealth Avenue. The blaze began at about 2:36 p.m., according to dispatchers with MetroNet. Two firefighters were injured and one was transported by ambulance, Fullerton Fire Operations Chief Gary Dominguez said. The extent of the injuries was not known.

The building was constructed in 1948 by Hans H. Kohlenberger to manufacture refrigeration equipment, said Karl Kohlenberger, the grandson of the founder, in a telephone interview today.

In 1969, the building was sold to Morehouse Industries, which made commercial food processing equipment. Recently, the Olson Company was approved to turn the vacant building into condominiums -- keeping much of the original facade intact. The residential units were being built as part of a plan to provide housing to Cal State Fullerton professors.

"It's very sad," Kohlenberger said. "We never expected anything to happen to the building, other than being torn down."

Neighbors said the building has been vacant for more than 15 years.

City Manager Chris Meyer said the building had been inhabited by the homeless. "And the property owner has been going in and trying to get them out.''

The firefighters who tried to save the building were from Fullerton, Anaheim and the Orange County Fire Authority.

Arson investigators were at the scene. The cause of the fire was not immediately known.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Fullerton
• Fire
• Commonwealth
• Basque

[Ulderek]

This was my great grandfathers legacy. The facade would have been cool to have my own children drive by someday.

[papadent]

why are u laughing.. haha.. i heard there was a bunch of porno magazines in there..