Fire debris still sits in Prichard

MOBILE,Ala. -  Debris from a three-building fire in downtown Prichard still sits on Wilson Avenue. It's been four months since the initial fire and residents want something done about it.

"I feel like with the taxes people are paying, Prichard should do a lot better than what they are doing. And yes, it is an eyesore and something needs to be done about it," said Barbara Hubbard.

City Workers knocked down what was left of the building back in May, but much of the debris is still piled up.

Prichard Public Information Officer Anita Havel-Powell said initially the clean-up responsibility didn’t belong to the city.

"What the city did was, we gave the owners time to take care if that. And when they failed  to do so, the city decided to step in an take care of it,” said Havel-Powell.

FOX10 asked when would the clean-up process finish.

"I don't have an exact timeline but it's very close,” said Havel-Powell.

For Tee Gibbs, it's not close enough. Gibbs operates a barber shop right beside the rubble on Wilson Avenue. He recently finished a new paint job on the building. He wants the block to look more appealing.

"We launched a facelift. We wanted to wait for the city to come for this clean-up. But when they didn't for whatever reason, dragging their feet, we launched our own facelift,” said Gibbs.

Prichard officials said Hurricane Isaac halted the cities clean-up efforts, but they are now back on track.