Neighbors say loitering was a problem in vacant Pinball Pete's building gutted by fire

Passersby look at the old Pinball Pete's, which had been vacant for a number of years before it was gutted by fire Saturday. The building is next to Momo Tea and in close proximity to the current Pinball Pete's, across the street at 1214 S. University Ave.

Juliana Keeping | AnnArbor.com

She said it's been an ongoing problem since the tea shop and wireless cafe opened during the Ann Arbor Street Art Fairs last summer. Tsai said she climbed on the roof to check on damage a few months ago and noticed a second-story window was open. She peeked in and saw clothes and shoes inside.

"We've made a lot of complaints about this issue on the roof of Middle Earth and Momo Tea," Tsai said. "I'm not surprised," she said of the fire. "At least nobody got hurt in the building."

Ann Arbor police weren't able to confirm those reports today. And no information on a possible cause of the fire was released today.

Amy Brow, acting battalion chief for the Ann Arbor Fire Department, said more information wouldn't be available until Monday. Brow said fire inspectors may talk then about potential causes of the blaze.

The fire was reported around 10:13 p.m. Saturday and forced residents of nearby buildings to evacuate, including the high-rise University Towers, which houses many University of Michigan students. 

Ann Arbor Assistant Fire Chief Ed Dziubinski said Saturday that 600 residents were evacuated, and four apartments sustained heavy smoke and water damage. The Pinball Pete's building was vacant and hadn't had gas or electric service for some time, Dziubinski said. 

Tsai said today that much of the activity on the roof happened at night. The tea shop is open until 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Momo Tea opened in the space that formerly belonged to Middle Earth following a year of renovations.

Eric Penrose, an assistant manager for Middle Earth for the last three years, confirmed the problem has been ongoing for years.

"Young people gather in the back alley," he said of the lot behind the buildings. "They've damaged our roof - we've had to get it fixed."

Young people or squatters have used trees and an old cooler to access the vacant property gutted by a blaze Saturday night, employees from nearby businesses said.

Juliana Keeping | AnnArbor.com

Employees said police have been called a number of times and have periodically checked on the property. A few months ago, Penrose said, the building was freshly boarded up.

Maggie Ladd, executive director of the South University Area Association, said the property is owned by the Tice Family Partnership. The Tice family could not be immediately reached for comment today.

"The (South University Area) Association tries so hard to keep this street beautiful and good for tourism," Penrose said. "It's just that one building. People were going in and out all the time."

Tsai said the city's building department will inspect Momo Tea for possible water damage on Monday. The business, normally open Sundays, shut down to assess any damage and let the smell of smoke clear.

Residents of University Towers said the building was evacuated calmly and was back to normal today.

Daniel Gottlander, a U-M business student, was studying in his 11th floor apartment in University Towers Saturday when he heard sirens. He opened his window and smoke poured in, but he couldn't see where it was coming from. Some smoke was in the hallway as well, and he evacuated before the fire alarms went off.

"It was calm," he said. Gottlander texted friends with news of the fire and joined a large crowd that formed outside the building. 

The crowd cheered the firefighters as they entered the building and fought the fire. Gottlander said he walked around outside until about 2 a.m., when he returned to find that residents were being allowed back inside.

Juliana Keeping covers higher education for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at julianakeeping@annarbor.com or 734-623-2528. Follow Juliana Keeping on Twitter