LACKAWANNA, N.Y. - Two years ago Friday, a massive fire broke out at the former Bethlehem Steel site in Lackawanna that destroyed several businesses.
And now, just the shell of what burned down is still there.
For people who were here when the fire happened, they cannot forget the massive flames that brought the building down. Since then, there has been no redevelopment of the area.
And, according to Great Lakes Industrial Development, the company that owns the land, some cleanup still needs to be done.
The fire two years ago was fueled by cars, boats and RV's that were stored inside. It took days for crews to put it out and deal with hot spots. Nearly a year later, the Buffalo Fire Department ruled the fire "undetermined."
Great Lakes Industrial Development has said it wants to rebuild this area as an industrial business park, or some type of warehouse operation, like it was before. 2 On Your Side asked the company about that plan Friday, a spokesperson responded with a statement saying:
"The fire two years ago dealt a serious blow to the otherwise remarkable progress and transformation at the site. The fire destroyed nearly 40 percent of our facility."
The company says millions have been spent on cleanup and millions more will be needed for full recovery. And that, some demolition still needs to be done, which may require utilities on site to be relocated, costing time and money. Great Lakes says it has done some planning for new development, but those plans which have not been released are in the early stages.
Great Lakes says it wants to build a new wall, where the fire was, so more of the land can be used -- this the company says would be a multi-million dollar project.
Great Lakes also says 17 companies employing 90 people are at the business park and that bringing more businesses will depend on interest from new tenants. The company says it wants to stay there in Lackawanna long term.