JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Wednesday night was the first big event downtown right next to the RISE Doro apartment complex that caught fire Sunday night.
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The Jacksonville Icemen had a home game and fans were lined up to see the puck drop. While some regular pre-game spots were closed, along with the parking deck next to the arena, there was no shortage of fans.
The Icemen hockey team attracted a large crowd to the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena soon after a nearby apartment fire that caused significant damage. It was the first major event to take place since the incident.
Season ticket holders like Scott Lowther attended the event and got to witness firsthand what had happened.“I was shocked at the damage up top, it was very surprising,” Lowther said.
The arena is outside the collapse zone and fans like Dana Brown weren’t surprised by the impressive turnout.
“This is a hockey town. It might be Florida but these people are die-hard,” Brown said.
READ: Florida Fire Marshal still investigating RISE Doro fire, demolition to begin before end of the week
Since the apartment complex isn’t safe and a threat to nearby areas, Intuition Ale and Manifest Distilling couldn’t open for pre-game festivities.
Philip Randolph, Adams, and Lafayette streets were all closed, and so was the arena parking garage. It impacted the drive-in for a few fans but not all.
“It (GPS) wanted us to go down MLK, continued to Union but it still detoured us by the coffee factory and came in with a behind the scene crowd,” Allan Scott said.
Permits were approved by the city for emergency demolition, which is expected to cost over $1 million between RISE and ELEV8 Demolition.
Fans are hoping for the best when it comes to the impact on downtown development.
“I don’t see how it couldn’t (impact) to be honest with you,” Lowther said. “I think downtown development is extremely important for us. I’m a lifetime Jacksonvillian and I’m sad to see things see a step backward.
“It’s not going to deter anybody from moving here,” Brown said.
The RISE team said the city’s structural engineers told them that the parking garage appears to be sound, they also mentioned how demolition is expected to take about 8-10 weeks as they work on the sequence to move forward. Fencing has been up around the site as equipment comes in, Action News Jax was told by a city spokesperson that demolition could begin as early as Thursday afternoon or Friday.
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