Akron officials are considering whether to file charges against the owner of a North Hill rental home that caught fire over the weekend, killing two adults and two young girls.
Investigators have not been able to locate a smoke detector in the home. Had an alarm been present, the residents might have been able to escape the burning home in time to survive.
Akron Fire Lt. Sierjie Lash said all homes are required under city ordinance to have working smoke detectors installed.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s a rental home or a house you live in that you own,” she said.
Under state law, apartment buildings 75 feet or taller must have smoke detectors in each unit. The rental property that caught fire Saturday on East Tallmadge Avenue was a three-story home.
Lindsey Burnworth, spokeswoman for the Ohio Fire Marshal’s Office, said the office recommends smoke alarms in all homes even though it’s not mandated by state law.
The fire on Saturday started sometime before 12:30 a.m., when neighbors’ security cameras captured smoke billowing from the home’s second floor and attic. The fire wasn’t noticed until almost 1:40 a.m., when firefighters arrived and began battling the blaze.
Six people lived in the home: Omar Riley, 36; Shirley Wallis, 33; Shaniya Wallis, 12; Aniyla Riley, 9; Shanice Riley, 8; and family friend Jennifer Grubbs, 34.
Grubbs escaped the home by leaping from an attic window. The oldest girl, Shaniya, was revived. The others did not survive the blaze.
Funeral services for those who died have not yet been set. A spokeswoman for Celebration Church in Akron said services are in the process of being planned.
The cause of the fire remains unknown.
“Our investigators are still looking over the scene and trying to determine the cause,” Lash said.
Meanwhile, the fire department and the Red Cross will canvass the East Tallmadge Avenue neighborhood on Tuesday to install smoke detectors free of charge in homes that don’t have them. The hope, Lash said, is to avoid another tragedy.
“We want to make sure those residents in that neighborhood feel safe,” she said.
Any other Akron-area residents interested in receiving a free smoke detector are urged to contact the Red Cross at 330-535-2030.
Nick Glunt can be reached at 330-996-3565 or nglunt@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @NickGluntABJ and on Facebook @JournoNickGlunt .
