Mission Local last week reported on the fire:
The building that caught fire Thursday morning, critically injuring two, has a long history of building code violations and a pending report in which it is “deemed unsafe,” public records show.
In a notice of violation dated Jan. 5, 2009 — a complaint that’s still pending and unresolved — the box labeled “unsafe building” is checked and, among nine violations, “there are no smoke detectors,” the report states.
That proved disastrous on the morning of Dec. 1, when a fire broke out in the upstairs unit at 3356 24th St. Residents said that others who smelled the fire woke them up just after 4 a.m. No one remembered hearing any alarms go off.
Twenty-three tenants living in two adjacent buildings were evacuated.
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“Fire caused by … landlord”? Smoke detectors don’t prevent fire. They just help people react quickly.
I recall being taught about the importance of having smoke detectors and keeping the batteries fresh. I recall this was in elementary school. These people could have put smoke detectors in at any time and deducted the cost from their rent. Yes, the landlord violated the law. But the tenants violated common sense.
you seem to have overlooked the more serious charge of not including fire-resistant materials and methods in the construction of the building. are you really in a position to judge someone else’s common sense?
Building was built ~1900. Are you really in a position to hold the current landlord responsible for the fact that wood was used in the structure?
it’s not my position. i’m not the inspector who gave the citations, if that was somehow unclear.
It’s also “allegedly caused” if you’re really trying to cover your asses.
The Mission Local story referenced in this post includes the following quote:
“Wolfe said that in her apartment they had disconnected the smoke detector because it went off when they cooked. “It was stupid, just stupid to do that,” she said as she sat surrounded by her belongings.”
which seems to contradict the assertion in the title of this post.