Asbestos-Filled Debris Hauled Away from Johnson City Fire Scene

Tons of demolition debris that remained after fire wrecked a Johnson City apartment house is being hauled hundreds of miles to a western New York landfill.

LCP Group of Vestal tore down what remained of the damaged structure following a February 15 blaze on Cherry Street.

Under normal circumstances, the company would have quickly removed the debris from the site. But that was delayed because the Broome County landfill no longer accepts asbestos from commercial entities.

The Family Enrichment Network building on Cherry Street can be seen as crews removed asbestos-filled demolition debris on February 27, 2026. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

Mayor Christina Charuk spoke with Broome County Executive Jason Garnar about the possibility of disposing of the fire-related debris in the local landfill but was advised that the material could not be hauled there.

Village officials worked with the state Department of Environmental Conservation and the Department of Labor on the asbestos disposal problem.

Ultimately, a decision was made to transport the debris to the Chautauqua County landfill in Jamestown. That's more than 200 miles from the Johnson City fire scene.

Demolition debris at the site of a fire on Cherry Street in Johnson City was loaded into trucks on February 27, 2026. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

Charuk told WNBF News she didn't know how much more the village will spend for the debris to be transported to the western New York facility. She said LCP Group was being paid $11,000 for the emergency demolition of the fire-damaged building.

A resident of a neighboring building watched as the asbestos-contaminated material was loaded into trucks on Friday. He said he was pleased the debris was being removed.

WNBF NEWS VIDEO: Workers from LCP Group loaded demolition debris into large trucks at Grand Avenue and Cherry Street on February 27, 2026.

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com or call (607) 545-2250. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.

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