Thread: Families sue building over fatal fire

Families sue building owners over fatal fire

September 22, 2006

BY ANNIE SWEENEY Crime Reporter





Side by side, the three teens stood -- one clutching flowers -- beneath the charred windows of the apartment where their six siblings died nearly three weeks ago.

A line of stuffed animals remained along the wrought-iron fence in front of 7706 N. Marshfield. Speaking softly -- if at all -- the three said their families were trying to heal and move on.

But the pain was evident in the strained face of Delia Ramirez, 19, who looked to her sister for support, and in the shocked look of Luis Alberto Ramos, who struggled for words as he stared blankly into the cameras in front of him.

"We're just trying to get over what happened,'' Ramos, 15, said. "It's hard. I just have to support my mom and support each other ... so we can get past what happened.''

Building owners hit with suit



The three survivors gathered at the fence with their attorneys to announce they had filed a lawsuit against the owners of the building, claiming that they failed to maintain adequate smoke detectors in the Ramirezes' apartment and that it was unsafe.

The Ramirez sisters lost five siblings in the fire on Sept. 3 -- Vanessa, 14; Erick, 12; Idaly, 6; Sucette, 10; and Kevin, 3. Ramos lost his only sister, Scarlett, 3, who was being baby-sat by the family. Two other Ramirez children, Natali and William, ages 16 and 7, were injured and have been released from the hospital.

The fire was ignited by a candle burning in the third-floor apartment rented by the Ramirez family. Chicago Fire Department investigators have said they found no evidence there were smoke detectors in the apartment.

Electricity had been shut off since May. The family was struggling financially and was disputing a bill with ComEd.

Steven Levin, an attorney for the families, said among the key questions was why there were no working smoke detectors and fire alarms. Levin also said the building owner, Jay Johnson, knew the family was without electricity.

"The Ramirez and Ramos family are looking for answers,'' he said.

Named in the suit filed in Cook County are Marshway Limited Partnership, Marshway, L.L.C., CIG Management, L.L.C. and Johnson.

Inspection conducted



In a written response, Marshway Limited Partnership said it could not comment on the lawsuit.

But it repeated an assertion made by Johnson earlier that the apartment had smoke detectors, according to a September 2005 inspection of the apartment by the management company. Also, the statement said, an inspection conducted last week by an independent licensed fire safety professional found that each of the 14 other units in the building is equipped with a working smoke detector.

Levin said he could not comment on whether the family knows how the smoke detectors came down or whether this was reported to Johnson. He said all of that information is part of the investigation.

Commonwealth Edison also was named in the suit as a respondent.

Levin said the family believed there was a mistake in the bill and said they had worked with social service agencies and the local alderman's office to resolve it.

But a ComEd spokesman said the amount owed on the bill would not have offset the shutoff, even if the family had resolved the dispute.


http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-fire22.html

The family should place blame on their own stupidity.
Common sense is caution when having any open flame inside or outside. Instead they lack better judgement which caused these deaths at their own expensense of stupidity. No one dares mention Building codes in which how many occupants can be in one apartment. So they should stop blaming everyone else.

Absolutly........I'm surprised they didn't throw the candle company in the suit. Maybe even the mattress and clothing company since they caught fire. They are here illegally and shouldn't be rewarded for anything. It was their own stupidity that caused that blaze. If the landlord gets sued, it should be for renting to illegals and housing violations.

The parents should be charged with neglect and child endagerment and swiftly deported.

Ambulance chasing attornies trying to cash in on stupidity and greed. They should file a counter-suit to pay for their building plus damages.

There's a big difference in no working fire detector and no detector.

Most detectors require a working batteries or ours do at least.

Is the landlord responsible for changing the batteries twice a year because their tenants won't?

Most apt. bldgs. smoke detectors are wired into the building, but I think they have a battery back-up, not sure. If their power was off, then the detector may not work.

There was a fire in Boone, NC, a couple of weeks ago where three young girls died. They were in a first floor apartment. The other 7 apartments in the complex had fire detectors but investigators couldn't tell if there was one in the burned apartment or not.