A blighted house on South Jackson Avenue in Picayune was demolished early Friday morning due to numerous complaints from neighbors.
The house, located at 199 S. Jackson Ave., caught fire on July 2 while the renter, Joshua Kirkland, was inside, previous coverage states.
Picayune Code Enforcement Officer Tom Milar said the homeowner didn’t have fire insurance, and with over 50 percent of the house destroyed, it was deemed a total loss.
Though the fire was extinguished within 10 minutes of the call, previous coverage states everything in the home was destroyed.
Picayune Fire Marshal Pat Weaver ruled the cause of the fire as accidental, according to previous coverage.
The Picayune City Council declared the property a public nuisance in October, after the city received complaints that the property had become a place where non-residents of the area would “come and go,” Milar said.
He said homes on that street are typically well maintained and the residents have requested removal of the structure since October.
After reaching an agreement with the homeowner, the city agreed to remove the building and put a lien on the property owner’s taxes to cover demolition costs, Milar said.
Anything the homeowner wanted from the house before it was demolished was removed, Milar said, but due to the fire there wasn’t much left.
Every January and February, the city sets aside time to demolish blighted properties, Milar said.
This year, the city will demolish four other blighted properties, some of which also have significant fire damage, Milar said.
The city also cleans up city-owned wooded lots in February and March and other property and grass areas during the remaining months, Milar said.