The future of a notoriously haunted Texas hospital is uncertain after authorities shut down the spooky location, citing safety concerns. The Yorktown Memorial Hospital operated from 1951 to 1986 and, during that time, thousands of people passed away inside the building. After a subsequent spell as a rehabilitation center, the site was sold to Philip Ross, who organized paranormal investigations at the location. The ghost hunts proved to be particularly popular due to a remarkable amount of unusual and eerie activity witnessed and experienced at the site. However, those events came to a sudden stop on Friday when local authorities surprisingly declared that the abandoned hospital is unsafe for the public.

According to a local media report, the controversy seemingly started earlier this summer when it was announced that Ross had sold the building to Fred and Stephen Garza-Guzman, who operate the ghost tour and event company Curious Twins Paranormal. The change in ownership caught the attention of Yorktown officials, who had previously attempted and failed to shut down the site in 2008. No doubt seeing the chance to take a second shot at that effort, the city dispatched a building inspector to the location last Thursday with what the new owners reportedly claim was only 15 minutes' notice, which kept them from getting to the hospital from their office in San Antonio.

Announcing the findings of the surprise visit in a Facebook post on Friday, the city declared that it had "officially deemed this building unsafe for occupancy" because of the "risk of structural failure or hazardous conditions." For their part, the new owners were understandably dismayed by the decision, expressing consternation over the lack of an official report from the building inspector or any information on how to bring the site back up to acceptable standards. For now, they have halted hosting paranormal investigations at the site with the hope that they can come to an amicable agreement with city officials for what they say is "the only real attraction Yorktown has."