CHICAGO — The family of a Chicago firefighter who died when an abandoned laundromat collapsed during a fire is suing the building’s owners.
Firefighter Edward Stringer, 47, was killed during the incident in December last year, which also claimed the life of Firefighter Corey Ankum, 34.
The daughter and son of Firefighter Stringer allege the failure of the building’s owners to properly maintain the building resulted in their father’s death, according to The Chicago Tribune.
The city had cited Sing Way Cleaners for 14 separate violations previous to the fire. However, owners Chuck M. Dai and Richard Dai never repaired the building, according to the article.
The roof collapsed as some firefighters cut holes in the roof to ventilate the building.
This suit comes on the heels of a federal report concluding that the Chicago Fire Department was also to blame: Poor communications, too few radios and no system to let the Fire Department know about hazardous buildings put the firefighters in danger. However, the Stringers are not filing a suit against the city or its fire department.