Seeing red: More than 200 buildings deemed unsafe to enter

The city of Toledo has scores of abandoned and neglected buildings.

Ones that have fallen into such disrepair that they are a danger even to emergency personnel get added to the Toledo Fire & Rescue Department’s Code Red list. As of Monday, the list included more than 200 properties across the city.

To get on the list a captain or another member of the department’s Fire Protection Bureau has to deem the property unsafe to enter — even for firefighters — unless there’s a life that needs to be saved, said Sheldon Collins, public information officer for the fire department.

“They’re deemed structurally unsound and may contain hazardous conditions,” he said.

Properties on the Code Red list run the gamut. From old warehouses to abandoned churches, long shuttered retail buildings to single-f