Binghamton Building Owner: City Should Have Called About Fire

The Binghamton apartment house destroyed by an apparent arson fire was owned by Isaac Anzaroot, who says city officials didn't contact him about the blaze.

The fire at 159 Conklin Avenue erupted shortly after 7 a.m. Tuesday. The three-story building was declared a complete loss and was ordered torn down after the blaze was extinguished.

Anzaroot said he learned of the fire from a WNBF News report. He said he received no call from city representatives.

Fire tore through an apartment house at 159 Conklin Avenue on February 15, 2022. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

Discussing the matter Wednesday afternoon, Anzaroot said "you would think they would have given me a call." Mayor Jared Kraham could not be reached for comment.

After this story was published, Deputy Mayor Megan Heiman emailed this statement:

"Mr. Anzaroot’s statement that he was not contacted by the City is false. An official from the City’s Code office spoke to Mr. Anzaroot’s office manager yesterday morning to inform them there was a fire at the building. Furthermore, fire officials have left numerous messages for Mr. Anzaroot regarding the recent fire at 12 Green St., which he also owns. Those calls have not been returned."

Anzaroot said he was out of town when he found out about the massive blaze that was raging at the Conklin Avenue building. He said he contacted his company's representatives when he learned of the fire.

Gorick Construction Company was hired by the city to immediately tear down the building following the fire.

Temporary fencing surrounded 159 Conklin Avenue on February 16, 2022. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

Police said 36-year-old Marquetta James of New Haven, Connecticut is suspected of setting the fire in the apartment building. Detectives took her into custody at a Binghamton hotel. She has been charged with second-degree arson.

Investigators said James was an acquaintance of a building resident, who they did not identify. They did not indicate a possible motive.

Anzaroot doesn't know what will happen with the site where the apartment house stood until Tuesday. A giant pile of rubble was all that remained of the building Wednesday.

He said he'd "love to rebuild there" because of the nice views of the city from the site overlooking the Susquehanna River.

This story was updated to include a City Hall response to Isaac Anzaroot's comments.

Enter your number to get our free mobile app

Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.

LOOK: What 25 Historic Battlefields Look Like Today

The following is an examination of what became of the sites where America waged its most important and often most brutal campaigns of war. Using a variety of sources, Stacker selected 25 historically significant battlefields in American history. For each one, Stacker investigated what happened there when the battles raged as well as what became of those hallowed grounds when the fighting stopped.

These are the battlefields that defined the United States military’s journey from upstart Colonial rebels to an invincible global war machine.

LOOK: Best Beers From Every State

To find the best beer in each state and Washington D.C., Stacker analyzed January 2020 data from BeerAdvocate, a website that gathers user scores for beer in real-time. BeerAdvocate makes its determinations by compiling consumer ratings for all 50 states and Washington D.C. and applying a weighted rank to each. The weighted rank pulls the beer toward the list's average based on the number of ratings it has and aims to allow lesser-known beers to increase in rank. Only beers with at least 10 rankings to be considered; we took it a step further to only include beers with at least 100 user rankings in our gallery. Keep reading to find out what the best beer is in each of the 50 states and Washington D.C.

25 True Crime Locations: What Do They Look Like Today?

Below, find out where 25 of the most infamous crimes in history took place — and what the locations are used for today. (If they've been left standing.)

Filed Under: Binghamton, Conklin Avenue, fire investigation, Isaac Anzaroot, Jared Kraham, South Side

Categories: Articles, Business, Crime, Local News