City property manager and police officers toured the vacant Naval Support Activity Base on Poland Avenue in Bywater Thursday afternoon following a small trash fire inside the building the day before.
That fire renewed concerns about conditions inside the former base whose redevelopment has been stymied after $40 million in federal grants were diverted to other projects.
The New Orleans Fire Department responded to the 2-alarm fire at the now blighted and graffiti-filled former military complex late Wednesday afternoon.
Firefighters arrived to find smoke coming from a hallway of one of the three, six-story buildings. They quickly extinguished the two-alarm fire and later found found piles of trash, holes in the floors and open elevator shafts in the building.
That made the search for lost or injured people much more difficult, said Fire Superintendent Tim McConnell.
"Once they got the fire under control, they searched the whole building and they did encounter some homeless people as they approached there," McConnell said. "They probably were the source of ignition for that fire."
Sammy Baiamonte's family owns Jack Dempsey's restaurant across the street from the old Navy base.
He now hopes that since the Fire Department is talking about hazards inside the buildings, the city will finally secure the property, something Thursday’s tour was meant to start.
"This here is neglect," Baiamonte said pointing at the complex. "We don't see any city officials coming out here, looking at this property. They don't have to look at it every day like we have to."
Before city officials arrived Thursday, the front gate to the property was wide open. There are also large holes in the perimeter fence.
"It shows no one cares," Baiamonte said. "No one is paying attention."
The city has owned the property since the Navy closed the base in 2011.
McConnell wouldn't say if the city is doing enough to secure the property. He also declined comment on the current condition of the complex.
"I know the building has been secured on a number of occasions," McConnell said. "I think it would be most appropriate if you would speak to code enforcement or property management with the city."
A spokeswoman for Mayor LaToya Cantrell also declined comment citing ongoing negotiations withEMDRC Partners,a company the city selected in 2012 to develop the property.