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Hopkinsville board declares 1007 E. Ninth St. unsafe after March 17 fire; orders abatement
Summary
The City of Hopkinsville Code of Ordinance Enforcement Board found a seven-unit building at 1007 East Ninth Street unsafe after a March 17 fire, ordered abatement and assessed the maximum fine plus an administrative fee.
The City of Hopkinsville Code of Ordinance Enforcement Board on May 13 declared the multifamily building at 1007 East Ninth Street an unsafe structure after hearing evidence that a March 17 fire damaged multiple apartments and exposed structural and electrical hazards. The board voted to order city abatement and assessed the maximum fine allowed under the ordinance plus a $200 administrative fee.
Board Chairman David Howe opened the hearing on case CEBPM2504003 and heard testimony from fire and code staff, who presented photos and a checklist of violations that included water- and fire-damaged ceilings, exposed wiring, open junction boxes, broken windows, unsecured doors and a decaying foundation. Fire and code staff said the building contains seven apartment units and that crews found evidence of people staying in at least one unit after the blaze.
Peyton, a Hopkinsville Fire Department/code officer who presented the case, described arrival and inspection photos, saying the fire appeared to have originated near a kitchen stove and traveled through void spaces, venting through the roof above what the presenter identified as Apartment 3. The official fire report cited eight adults and two children living at the address; Red Cross assisted with housing after the fire. Peyton told the board that no working smoke detectors were heard on arrival and that wiring and an open fuse box in the basement were “very concerning.”
Victor Binder, who identified himself as the property manager for JMP Investment Group, told the board he has repeatedly secured and repaired doors and windows but that occupants and others repeatedly forced entries. Binder said he had contacted electrical and structural contractors and had bolted and boarded doors, and that Atmos had been asked to secure gas service. Binder acknowledged that some repairs remained incomplete and that engineers and contractors were on waiting lists because of regional demand.
Board members noted repeated police and emergency responses at the address, citing staff figures that showed about 570 police responses and 17 fire responses since 2020 linked to the property. The board discussed public-safety risks from unsecured apartments and the difficulty of keeping people out of the structure.
After deliberation, a motion to declare the property unsafe carried. In the penalty phase the board voted to assess the maximum fine allowed by ordinance and a $200 administrative fee and to have the city abate the property immediately. The motion to abate passed by voice vote; no roll-call tally was recorded in the public hearing transcript.
The board’s order will be subject to the appeal process outlined in the Hopkinsville Code of Ordinances and any appeal to Christian District Court must be filed within 30 days of the board’s final order, staff said.
