It's been more than a week since flames destroyed parts of the Murray Realty complex in Wilkes-Barre. Wednesday evening the city got a hand to demolish it.

The huge fire left the old building along Courtright Avenue in ruins, prompting lots of questions about how the place can be demolished.

Governor Ed Rendell visited the city Wednesday evening and delivered some state aid to help tear down what's left of the place. He would like to see every building on the property torn down.

"They ought to be demolished before a fire like this occurs," the governor told the news "But, in most cases, municipalities have no funds to act to achieve the demolition."

The fire on October 21 sent thick black smoke into the skies over Wilkes-Barre. The smoke could be seen for miles.

Some neighbors were forced from their homes. They said the dilapidated building had become a haven for the homeless and site of several smaller fires before this.

"I was upset, scared, but I was just hoping it would just burn down because it's an eyesore. It scares me," Barbara Lewis said the day of the fire. She lives along Courtright Avenue.

Investigators speculate a homeless person sparked the blaze, but they may never know for sure.

Fire crews camped out in front of the building for days just to douse the hot spots.

Almost immediately city officials began looking for ways to finally tear down the burned out remains. The owner said he is bankrupt. Mayor Tom Leighton was forced to reach out for emergency funding to cover the estimated million dollar price tag.

"The city of Wilkes-Barre does not have this kind of funding to make the demolition possible. We are asking for emergency funding from the state, from Senator Casey and Kanjorski and Governor Ed Rendell," Mayor Leighton said the day after the fire.

The estimates of the cost to demolish this building range from the hundreds of thousands, to about a million dollars.

The governor said he can give the city $750,000 to help cover the costs of the demolition. The city will also use about $250,000 in community development block grant money for the project.

There is a catch. The Department of Environmental Protection said there may be asbestos in the building. If that is found to be true, the asbestos would have to be removed before demolition could begin.

"You just have to do the asbestos inspection and verification as you go, unlike what we would normally like to see. You go in, identify it, clear it out, and then do your demolition," said Michael Bedrin, a regional director for the D.E.P.

On Thursday, Wilkes-Barre officials will go over the bids received from contractors to work on the demolition. The state is looking into finding even more funding to spend on the project if needed.