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Questions are being raised following the massive fire, which broke out shortly after 1 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 20 and rapidly spread.
Crews were still reportedly at the scene early on Friday morning attempting to get the blaze under control following reported ceiling collapses.
Councilman Neal Osborne, who was at the scene before leaving at around 2:15 a.m. on Friday called the fire "a pure tragedy, plain and simple," while noting that lawmakers have made multiple attempts to avoid such a situation.
"I have fought for several years for the preservation of this historic campus," he posted on social media. "The city's multiple attempts to goad the owners to do something have fallen on deaf ears.
"We have fined them, we have levied additional taxes, we've declared the property blighted, we've even tried to secure the campus ourselves within legal limits."
It remains unclear what caused the fire, though Osborne has some ideas.
"The root cause in my mind is the negligence of the owners of this campus to properly secure the buildings," he continued. "The city must pursue them through whatever means possible, and that is my position on the matter."
The private college was founded in the 1800s and stood for more than a century before it's closure in May 2014 and then the devastating fire on Friday morning.
While crews battled the blaze, some roads in the area were closed, some schools were closed, and others were on a two-hour delay.
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