Danville apartment complex rocked by explosion scheduled for demolition

The charred, buckled remains of Royal Terrace Apartments on Arnett Boulevard are coming down.

Charles Fulcher, inspections supervisor with the city of Danville, said Marshall Construction has applied for a demolition permit. Before the building can be demolished, Fulcher said an asbestos crew will have to go in and check out the structure.

During the early morning hours of Aug. 16, the driver of a 2006 Chrysler Pacifica rammed into the building, causing a natural gas leak that led to an explosion and fire; 22 people lived in the apartment building.

After the crew has examined the structure, they will decide if asbestos needs to be removed, Fulcher noted. If so, the company will have to apply for a permit to remove the asbestos, he added.

"The building is going to have to come down, but beyond that we havent made any decisions," said Ron Thompson, owner of the apartment building.

There are a lot of steps that have to be completed before the building can be demolished, Thompson added. The utilities have to be cleared, Thompson continued. But first, he has to get everything worked out with the insurance company.

Thompson is in the process of working out the insurance details which is going fine, he added but those finite details havent been completed yet.

James T. Barksdale, 35, of Danville, is suspected of ramming the vehicle he was driving into the backside of one of the complexs buildings, according to police. According to witnesses at the scene, Barksdale tried to flee the scene on foot but was apprehended by police officers.

Firefighters realized the accident caused a natural gas leak and started evacuating residents as quickly as possible, Danville Assistant Chief Steve Dishman. A number of people had already begun evacuating themselves because the impact of Barksdales car hitting the building woke them up.

Initially, there was no fire when firefighters arrived, Dishman explained. Shortly after firefighters arrived, the gas found an ignition source, which caused a fire and explosion.

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Danville apartment complex rocked by explosion scheduled for demolition