{"id":1624,"date":"2026-06-16T10:37:21","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T10:37:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=1624"},"modified":"2026-06-16T10:37:21","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T10:37:21","slug":"columbia-developers-long-vacant-decker-buildings-see-3-fire-calls-in-4-nights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usmovingexpertss.com\/?p=1624","title":{"rendered":"Columbia developers\u2019 long-vacant Decker buildings see 3 fire calls in 4 nights"},"content":{"rendered":"

Columbia-Richland firefighters last week responded to three fires in four nights at two long-vacant former restaurant buildings on Decker Boulevard, properties owned by companies for high-profile Columbia developer Alan Kahn and associates, according to state and county records.<\/p>

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A former Olive Garden on Decker Boulevard caught fire Tuesday night, June 9. Crews were dispatched around 9:30 p.m. and found flames spreading through the nearly 12,000-square-foot building.<\/p>

The next night, Wednesday, fire crews returned to the 2600 block of Decker Boulevard around 8:30 p.m. for another blaze immediately next door at a vacant former Red Lobster. They found flames bursting through the windows.<\/p>

Then, late Friday night, firefighters were called back to the former Red Lobster to put out a third fire. The fire department said it believes the Friday fire, which was small, was a rekindle from the Wednesday blaze.<\/p>

All of the fires were contained, and no injuries were reported in any of the incidents.<\/p>

The Richland County Fire Marshal\u2019s Office is investigating the fires, and The State<\/i> has contacted that office for updates on the investigations.<\/p>

The two visibly deteriorating restaurant sites where the fires occurred sit in a Decker Boulevard corridor that has struggled for years with shuttered storefronts and long-vacant buildings.<\/p>

Decker Boulevard exists on a roughly 2-mile stretch between Two Notch Road and Interstate 77. It\u2019s Richland County\u2019s \u201cInternational Corridor,\u201d known for its cultural diversity and wide variety of international shops and restaurants. But vacant properties have been a persistent problem.<\/p>

Nearly two decades ago, Richland County officials outlined plans for a Decker Boulevard \u201cRenaissance,\u201d which included addressing blight and the abundance of vacant lots. Residents have told The State<\/i> in past coverage that many of the promised improvements for the area haven\u2019t materialized.<\/p>

It\u2019s not yet clear what plans, if any, Kahn or his associates have for the Decker Boulevard properties, nor why the properties have been left empty for so long. The State<\/i> attempted to reach Kahn on Monday but did not receive a response by press time.<\/p>

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