Fire deaths on rise in Chicago

By Tracy Swartz
The Chicago Tribune

CHICAGO — Chicago is on pace to record a higher number of fire deaths this year than last year.

The Chicago Fire Department has logged 16 fire deaths through April 15, Chicago Fire Cmdr. Will Knight said. There were a total of 17 fire deaths in all of 2008, down from 32 in 2007.

The latest fire death came last week when a retired Chicago Public Schools janitor was killed after an accidental cooking fire broke out in his East Garfield Park home, according to news reports. The fire occurred April 6, and the man's body was discovered two days later by family members.

This winter's subzero temperatures may have played a role in the rise in fatalities because of the reliance on space heaters and candles to keep warm. But Knight said he has noticed a pattern in many of the deaths: no working smoke detectors.

Chicago residential buildings are required to have at least one working smoke detector in every apartment or home and, in a multi-unit building, on the uppermost level of an enclosed front or rear stairwell, according to city municipal code. Commercial buildings must meet different requirements that typically mandate sprinkler systems.

Additionally, carbon monoxide detectors are required in homes that are heated with forced-air units. They are not required when the home is heated with a radiator, but a detector should be placed in the boiler room and the first floor above the boiler room, according to city rules.

The city Department of Buildings performs annual inspections of existing buildings and reviews buildings based on complaints to 311.

In 2008, the buildings department issued 3,151 citations for buildings that didn't have smoke detectors, needed more smoke detectors or needed to fix smoke detectors, department spokesman Bill McCaffrey said. The buildings department has issued 580 of these citations this year.

If a Chicagoan cannot afford a smoke detector, which typically costs about $7, he or she can pick up a detector and batteries for free at a Chicago firehouse, alderman's office or public education unit, Knight said.

"Everyone has to take responsibility for having a working smoke detector," Knight said.

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