While the demolition gets under way today, tenants of the building remain upset over what they claim were problems with the electrical system of the two-story, century-old building.

"The second floor from the second deck up is almost entirely gone," said Donald D. Gallo, village engineer. "Interior walls are burned through."

Code Enforcement Officer Dan Bartha said any heavy vibration, such as a heavy truck driving by, or wind could cause the front wall to collapse.

"It could go either way," he said.

The board determined the building is an immediate danger to the public and hired Hontz Construction to tear it down for a cost not to exceed $20,000. The cost will be charged to the property owner, former Evans Supervisor Paul Garvin.

The building housed five apartments, Angola Variety and His Way Assembly of God Church.

Some of the tenants left homeless by the blaze attended Monday's emergency board meeting and questioned whether the building was up to code.

"If I didn't get out the window, you would have had a fried lady," said Lorraine Glowicki, who was rescued by an Adelphia Cable employee who raised his ladder to her window. "If it wasn't for the guy from the cable company, I wouldn't have been able to get out."

Bartha said he inspected the apartments and ordered several improvements made before tenants moved in, such as installing smoke detectors. He said that existing buildings are exempt from current building codes but that each apartment was deemed safe at the time of his inspection.

"It did meet our minimum provisions for fire safety," he said.

Tenants said they notified the landlord of problems but never contacted the code enforcement officer.

Mayor James R. Carlson said the Erie County Fire Investigation Team has finished its on-site investigation and will issue a report on the cause in several weeks.

Robert Dietrich, who owns the variety store, asked if authorities could retrieve more of his stock.

"They got maybe a third of my stock out," he said, adding he would like to get into the building. "If I can't, I don't know if I can make a swing of a second store."

Dietrich has set up shop in a building next to the destroyed structure.

Carlson said no one is allowed in the building because a major support beam was seen swinging.

Tenants in the adjacent building at 23 N. Main St. will be kept out until the demolition is complete and their building is deemed safe, the mayor said.