A fire broke out at a new apartment building under construction in Cleveland Heights Friday night, according to the Cleveland Heights Fire Department.
The University Heights Fire Department, which had been on the scene to assist since the start, said firefighters were working to contain the fire for more than 14 hours. As of 10:00 p.m. Sunday, the fire has been contained.
Lt. Marty O'Connor With the Cleveland Heights Fire Department told News 5 that calls started coming in about the fire around 7:30 Friday night.
“They were up against lightweight building materials. A sprinkler system that was not activated yet. Not in service. So it was an uphill battle and a lot of issues with the ice and the weather,” said O'Connor. “There’s been a lot of falls. So far, I haven’t heard of any serious injuries."
However, the cause of the fire is yet to be determined.
The proximity of the 200-unit building to nearby homes and businesses heightened the danger. Firefighters worked to save surrounding properties, even as the apartment building itself was lost to the flames.
“I’m feeling a lot of gratitude [towards the firefighters]. I’m feeling uncertainty. I’m scared. I’m really scared about what’s going to happen to our district and our businesses here,” Destiny Burns, owner of Cle Urban Winery, said.
Burns, along with other local business owners, had been preparing to welcome the new residents who were expected to move into the now-destroyed apartment complex.
“I’ve been preparing to accommodate this new wonderful group of residents that would be joining our neighborhood and our district, and in one evening that is just all gone,” she said.
Saturday afternoon, the owner of the apartment building made the following statement:
“We are grateful to the Cleveland Heights firefighters, police and other public safety teams from surrounding communities who are responding to the fire at The Marquee at Cedar Lee, an apartment complex with two buildings. The building impacted by the fire is still under construction and was set to be completed this summer. It does not have residents living in it. The cause of the fire is under investigation. We are thankful no one was injured.”
Friday night, the department made a Facebook post advising people to avoid the area of Cedar and Lee roads because of the fire. As of Saturday morning, those roads and some surrounding roads are still blocked.
In addition to road closures, Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District announced that all events at Heights High School on Saturday will be canceled to allow firefighters full access to the area.
News 5 was on the scene both Friday night and Saturday morning and could see the top floor of the building burning with massive flames.
Many mutual aid companies have been called to the scene.
The City of Cleveland Heights released a statement on Facebook:
Mayor Michael Dylan Brennan shared a video notifying people in the area to avoid Cedar Road and Lee Road:
Saturday afternoon, Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb released the following statement on X regarding the fire:
Heartbroken to see the devastating fire in Cleveland Hts. @ClevelandFire provided personnel and equipment to support our neighbors in this difficult time. I’ve spoken with Mayor Seren to offer our continued assistance. We are truly grateful for the quick response from all our…
— Justin M. Bibb (@JustinMBibb) January 25, 2025
The Cedar-Lee-Meadowbrook development, now a total loss, had been a contentious project in Cleveland Heights.
In 2022, voters rejected a referendum to turn a 1.07-acre parcel of the site into a public park. The final vote was 6,320 against and 2,358 in favor, with 72.83% voting against and 27.17% in favor, according to the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections.
Last year, News 5 reported on the new luxury apartments under construction in the heart of the Cedar Lee District, which represented years of debate and planning in the community.
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