Charred Remains Of Grove Street House To Be Demolished This Week
The remains of this house and garage at 405 N. Grove St. in Glenwood is expected to be knocked down this week. It was the scene of a neighborhood tragedy in August.
The scorched remains of a house that was the site of a tragic shooting incident and fire in Glenwood over the summer is scheduled to be demolished this week.
For the past three months, the structure at 405 N. Grove St. has served as a painful reminder of Dennis Burnell’s Aug. 6 shooting rampage that claimed the lives of two of his neighbors, Brandon and Stevie Oman. The house was set on fire by Burnell during the incident. He was burned in the blaze and died two days later after being arrested and transported to a hospital in Kansas.
In September, neighbors and friends of the Omans expressed frustration and concern that the scorched remains of the structure had not been removed.
Glenwood Fire Chief and Code Enforcement Officer Matt Gray said the refusal of the insurance provider and mortgage company to take responsibility for the property has slowed the demolition process.
“Basically, the companies that own it - the insurance company wasn’t paying anything out.,” said Gray. “The mortgage company was notified and so was the next of kin that there was a safety issue and basically that the house needs to come down and we’ve never received anything from anybody.
“The city is paying for the house to be torn down and the cost will be assessed against the property.”
Konfrst Construction has been contracted to carry out the demolition.
Gray said the demolition couldn’t take place until gas service to the property was cut off from the main line.
“When they tear that house down, they’re going to rip up everything. The meter is going to be ripped out of the ground so they have to close it off at the street,” he said. “Basically, it’s been out of our hands. We had to wait for Black Hills to come in and do their job and they only have one company that does this. The issue was they were booked up to almost Thanksgiving. They came in Friday and were able to close it off to the street.”
Gray said residents of the neighborhood have been kept up to date on the process.
Two vehicles that were parked on the property at the time of the incident have been impounded and moved to a lot near the city’s public works building, Gray noted.