Fire Marshal: Fire and Safety Hazards of Apartment Building Major for Residents

SAN ANGELO, TX - On Wednesday, Dec. 7, San Angelo’s Building Official and Fire Marshal ordered the evacuation of a structure illegally operating as an apartment building at 4215 Armstrong St. According to City officials, inspectors found building, fire, electric and City code violations that "represented life-threatening conditions."

"A letter to the owner ordering the evacuation noted the building presents a 'clear and imminent threat to public safety, is unsafe, and places firefighters and responding emergency personnel at risk,'" said Anthony Wilson, public information officer for the City of San Angelo.

Officials evacuated the 12 tenants, including two children, living in the building Wednesday afternoon, and they were directed to the Salvation Army for temporary living quarters.

“The devastation experienced by those in Oakland underscores the potential human consequence of not addressing these sorts of situations,” said Fire Marshal Ross Coleman. “We cannot, in good conscience, have this structure occupied by anyone. It’s a fire hazard and places at risk everyone inside it or who might enter it.”

Wilson said the structure’s unsafe conditions came to inspectors’ attention after the Water Utilities Department inquired about its use.

He said, "Fire Marshal records show inspectors were, in years past, denied entry to the building. On Tuesday, Building and Fire Marshal inspectors were sent to the site and were given access to a portion of the site by a tenant. They found the structure being illegally operated as a group living facility or apartment building."

Wilson also said inspectors reported the owner or landlord lived in a portion of the building separated by a wall, and there is no building permit. The rest of the site had been divided into approximately 10 living areas rented to tenants. Among the violations, inspectors found:

• Inoperable fire alarm and sprinkler systems.
• Missing smoke detectors in many units.
• No heat. Most tenants are using space heaters as their primary heating source, a building code violation. One tenant was using a cooking plate and another a toaster as sources of heat.
• Exits that have been blocked or disabled.
• Multiple electrical hazards.
• A zoning violation. The building’s current use is not allowed in the zoning district, which allows only for single-family homes. Nursing homes are allowed in such districts.

"The structure must remain vacant until licensed contractors bring the building into a safe operating condition in accordance with adopted codes and standards," said Wilson. "The building’s use must also comply with the City’s zoning ordinance."

This building was once a nursing home that made the news last year for incidents of bedsores in the residents there. Law enforcement and State of Texas Adult Protective Services investigated and it led to the arrest and indictment of the operators there. Ramon Ricardo Garcia was arrested on one first-degree felony count of injury to an elderly individual causing serious bodily injury, as reported on May 1, 2015. The operators were indicted in September 2015. A jury trial is scheduled for January 2017.

Fire Marshal Ross Coleman will be providing more details today. We will provide an update when available.

UPDATE December 9 @ 4:50 p.m

At a press conference this afternoon, Fire Marshal Ross Coleman provided details regarding the situation that occurred on Wednesday. The Fire Marshal’s office reiterated that the fire and safety hazards the living situation represented for residents of that building were major.

“Our biggest concern out of this whole thing is that we don't want an Oakland Fire in San Angelo Texas,” Coleman said, “This building, in my professional opinion, had the same ingredients, and we are lucky that we haven’t had one [a fire] up to this point.”

The numerous safety and fire violations present in the building made it necessary to evacuate every single individual living in that home. The displaced tenants have moved in with family and friends, or have found shelter at the Salvation Army.

The Fire Marshal’s office had been in contact with the Neighborhood and Family Services Department prior to completing an inspection, and investigators made sure that the appropriate accommodations could be provided in case the tenants had to be evacuated. The Salvation Army agreed to provide shelter for those who had to leave the building.

Coleman remarked that tenants had until 4 p.m to evacuate the premises, and the majority were able to move out by that time. The search was executed at around 9:30 a.m.

While the Fire Marshal is concerned about the displaced tenants, the objective of his office is to ensure the safety of every single person living in that home, including the owner who has also been banned from living there.

The landlord is currently working with the Building Officials Office and the Fire Marshal to implement the necessary changes that would make the building habitable. There are currently no charges being filed against the landlord regarding the living situation his tenants sustained.

When asked why it had taken so long for both the Building Officials Office and the Fire Marshal to become aware of the situation, Coleman responded that previously inspectors had approached the building but where deterred when informed that the premise was a single-family dwelling. The Fire Marshal’s office is not able to perform inspections in residences.

Coleman also stated that the City will be cracking down on any similar situation that occurs in the area. The City's upmost concern is the safety of the citizens and making sure disasters are avoided. He did clarify that if any similar living arrangements are found in San Angelo, Coleman would only be able to intervene if the premises presented a fire hazard.

They plan to conduct routine inspections and conduct investigations that provide any kind of signal that the same situation is occurring.