Video: Burned Haste Street Building Gets Demolished

Passersby stopped to watch the building on the corner of Telegraph Avenue and Haste Street being torn down Saturday. 

Demolition work began earlier this week on the upper two stories of the four-story apartment building, but was halted Thursday when some of the building's walls crumbled below the height stipulated in the demolition permit.

The original plan was to tear town the top two stories and brace the lower two stories while a decision was made on what to do with them. However, the permit was amended Thursday afternoon to "reflect the damaged condition of the building", according to City of Berkeley spokeswoman Mary Kay Clunies-Ross.

Two businesses, were housed in the building. Both storefronts were shuttered but still standing Saturday. It is unclear whether the businesses will re-open in the same spot, or a different location, according to Roland Peterson, president of the Telegraph Property and
Business Management Corp.

Berkeley Deputy Fire Chief Gil Dong said that caused more than $2 million in structural damage and the loss of more than $500,000 in contents. There were no reported injuries to firefighters or residents.