El Paso panel orders demolition for three fire‑damaged houses, grants 90 days to rehabilitate a fourth

The City of El Paso Building and Standards Commission on Oct. 16, 2025 approved orders to demolish three houses found to be structurally unsafe and granted a 90‑day rehabilitation window for a fourth property, city code enforcement staff said.

The actions followed public hearings in which city inspectors described substantial fire damage, collapsed roofs or walls, repeated code‑enforcement cases and open access that posed risks to public safety. For three properties—3100 Richmond Avenue, 9573 Albany Place and 1306 Magoffin Avenue—inspectors recommended demolition within 30 days. For 5733 Hemingway Drive, commissioners extended the timetable to 90 days to allow a prospective buyer to pursue rehabilitation; the commission said demolition would be ordered if no substantive action occurred in that period.

At the start of the hearing, Steve Alvarado, code enforcement director, introduced the cases and called city inspectors to present findings. Eddie Cifuentes, with the code enforcement zoning division, said the single‑family house at 3100 Richmond Avenue (owner: Smith Revocable Trust) was built about 1921, showed extensive fire damage and a collapsed roof, and was open to unwanted entry. The presentation…