Vito Maggiolo, via NOPD
Firefighters battle a one-alarm blaze on Hillary Street.
A one-alarm fire broke out Monday night (April 10) in a house at 825 Hillary St., according to the New Orleans Fire Department and University area neighbors.
The property is being developed as student housing, documents filed with the city indicate. Owner Preston Tedesco, a doubles-to-dorms developer, submitted a non-conforming use request in 2021, asking to create five apartments in the building at that address.
Vito Maggiolo, via NOPD
The NOFD quickly brought the fire under control.
An LLC that Town of Carrollton Watch has linked to Tedesco and developer John Hamide bought the 2,200-square-foot building building in 2020 from Riverlake Properties for $1 million, according to the Assessor’s Office.
The owner was cited for working without a permit in early 2021. Architect Loretta Harmon has requested a permit to move the kitchens and living rooms in two one-bedroom units, records show, but no building permits have been issued for the address.
Neighbors said people were living in the building, which has addresses at both 825 Hillary and 7534 Burthe, and that the occupants and students in a neighboring building were evacuated. No injuries were reported in the fire.
The building was not on the list of D2D properties inspected by the State Fire Marshal’s Office last fall, according to Susan Johnson of Town of Carrollton Watch, which prepared the list for the Fire Marshal.
Vito Maggiolo, via NOPD
No one was injured in the fire at 825 Hillary St.
So Sorry for those students to get disrupted.
how did fire start?
No cause has been officially announced, though the property owner stated on social media that a couch caught fire.