Story originally printed in the Winona Daily News or online at www.winonadailynews.com
Published - Thursday, May 08, 2008
Duluth triplex hit by fire overdue for inspection
DULUTH, Minn. — The Duluth triplex where three people died in a fire had not been inspected since 2004.
The Duluth Fire Department can’t say if an inspection would have made the difference. But City Council member Jim Stauber says the city needs to pick up the pace.
Stauber is concerned the city’s Building Safety Department isn’t inspecting rentals fast enough.
The department blames the backlog on lack of staff and a flood of applications when the City Council voted last fall to restrict the number of rentals in the city.
Landlords pay a $200 fee and receive a temporary license until their property is inspected.
Heather Johnson, her 4-year-old son, Kaiden, and her boyfriend, Adrian Carter, died in Sunday’s fire. The batteries of the smoke detectors in Johnson’s apartment were not connected.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
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