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WILKES-BARRE &mdash; Two houses destroyed in a four-alarm fire last month will be torn down and the city will attempt to recover the demolition costs from the owners.
				The houses on Waller Street have been declared uninhabitable as a result structural damage from the Jan. 9 blaze.
				But more than a month later, the owners are not responding to the city&rsquo;s requests to get rid of the damaged properties and dangers they pose, said Butch Frati, Deputy City Administrator and Director of Operations.
				&ldquo;We asked them to do that,&rdquo; Frati said.
				There are concerns of people entering the buildings declared unsafe due to the extent of the damage, Frati said.
				&ldquo;We need to move on this quickly,&rdquo; Frati said.
				The city on Wednesday <a href="https://www.wilkes-barre.city/office-economic-community-development/bids/159-161-waller-st-demolition" target="_blank" rel="noopener">advertised bids </a>to raze the houses and clear the sites on Waller Street. In cases where the city demolishes a property in private hands, liens are routinely filed against the owner.
				Frati confirmed the owners were the same as those listed in Luzerne County Tax Claim Bureau: Raisbel Delos-Santos of Scranton for 157 Waller St. and David and Liane Bacon of Sweet Valley for the adjacent double block at 159-161 Waller St.
				According to the Bureau, Delos-Santos owes a total of $6,283 in back taxes to the city, Luzerne County and the Wilkes-Barre Area School District for 2018 through 2020. The Bacons owe $2,867 for 2020, according to the Bureau.
				The fire began in the double-block and spread to the house next door. Nine people were displaced. Residents either evacuated safely or were not home at the time. No injuries were reported. Wilkes-Barre City Fire Department Chief Jay Delaney said the cause was undetermined as of Wednesday.

Fire-damaged houses in Wilkes-Barre to be razed