Demolition continues on Bayview Hotel, fire ruled accidental
Daytona Beach, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - Demolition continues today on the Bayview Hotel after a fire damaged the structure.
This historic building was a place thirty-six people called home and now they are searching for a new place to live.
“It’s sad to see a landmark gone,” Shirley Taylor said.
As demolition workers continued to claw away at the hotel that was built in 1924, community members gathered on the sidewalk to watch.
“To see this happening it doesn’t seem real,” Emily Sowell said.
For Michael Knight, the owner of the Crooks Den bar inside of the Bayview Hotel, he said he was hopeful that even though Friday’s fire burned through the roof, that the building could have been saved.
“There was a lot of history in that building,” Knight said. “We were able to get a few things out of there and we’re grateful for that.”
In order to preserve the historic building just inches away, the hotel is carefully being taken apart piece by piece.
Buried in the rubble, personal belongings reappear, but for now none of those 36 people that called this place home can retrieve them.
“One said oh I lost my money, my wallet, I lost my ring,” Taylor said.
For now the American Red Cross and some regulars of a motorcycle club that frequented the Crooks Den are gathering donations for the people now forced to start over.
Crews on the scene told Fox35 that this is a slow process and predict that they may finally be done with this demolition by the end of this week.
Daytona Beach Fire Rescue says the fire has been ruled accidental.