Brooklyn Warehouse Fire - and Real Estate Deal - Investigated

The Fire Department's arson investigators will be looking for traces of accelerants left at the Greenpoint Terminal Market site, though it's possible much evidence has been destroyed from the 10 alarm fire that lasted almost two days. The real estate dealings behind the warehouse are of natural interest in the investigation, though sources say that the land's owner, Joshua Guttman, is not a suspect. Guttman, who bought the buildings for $25 million in 2001, had sold the property for $420 million last year to Baruch Singer, but the deal is at the heart of a lawsuit. The NY Sun explains that Singer lost his financing before closing, so "Guttman then voided the deal, and seized Mr. Singer's $42 million deposit." Now Singer is suing for his deposit, claiming there was an oral agreement to close six months later, and says that Guttman changed his mind about selling. The NY Times notes that Singers' buildings in the city have been issued "thousands of citations" (we feel like we've seen the word "slumlord" used to describe him).

The Daily News looks at Guttman, some calling him an "angel," some calling him a "thug." And the Times looks at how arsons are tricky things to investigate.

Photograph of the remains of the warehouse from jukeboxgraduate on Flickr