An official enters the Alpine Motel Apartments where a fire killed 6 people last Saturday, Monday, Dec. 23, 2019.
Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020 | 2 a.m.
Clark County officials have ordered inspections at apartment complexes they deem susceptible to fire, taking a proactive approach to fire prevention in the aftermath of the late-December Alpine Motel Apartment fire in downtown Las Vegas that killed six people and injured 13 in the deadliest fire in Las Vegas city limits.
“This is obviously an issue that is on the minds of all of us at the county commission after the Alpine apartment fire,” Commissioner Justin Jones said at Tuesday’s meeting.
Department of Building and Fire Prevention Director Jerry Stueve told commissioners his team is focused on inspections of apartments and non-transient motel-hotel residencies with center hallways that have exits on either side, similar to how Alpine is constructed. Inspections will be prioritized by occupancy and building age, fire officials said.
He said officials did not find a record of properties in the unincorporated county owned by Dragon Hotel LLC, the company that owns the Alpine.
While officials have identified “a number” of center hallway apartments, Stueve can’t provide how many are in unincorporated Clark County. He also didn’t know how many apartments were constructed before the code required they have sprinklers and smoke alarms — Alpine had faulty or missing detectors. They’ll send notice to identified complexes within 30 days to inform them of an upcoming inspection.
“We’re going to continue what we’re doing on existing apartment inspections and staying on top of fire prevention with new construction,” Stueve said.
Commissioner Tick Segerblom proposed researching the costs of updating older buildings with modern equipment, including larger water lines to put out fires. But Segerblom also urged caution because safety upgrades may also raise property values and price out low-income residents.
“We want residents who feel they are in danger to reach out and put their complaints in writing,” Clark County Fire Chief Greg Cassell said. “We don’t know what we don’t know on some of those properties.”
Cassell also proposed requiring residents who sign a new lease be given a fire safety plan.
Commissioner Jim Gibson said the county should look into requiring apartment managers and staff to be trained on escape routes in order for property owners to renew business licenses.
“It seems to me training these workers ought to be something required of all these folks,” he said. “Particularly now from what we’ve learned from this sad experience that there is a real risk.”
Nevada statutes already require that apartments have a fire safety plan. Chairwoman Marilyn Kirkpatrick emphasized fire inspections to ensure property owners are following laws already on the books. She also said she is worried that some residents don’t report violations because they are afraid of getting evicted.
