> Inspector flagged evacuation concerns ahead of fire at assisted living home
Inspector flagged evacuation concerns ahead of fire at assisted living home
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An inspector from South Metro Fire Rescue noted it didn’t seem as if a Centennial assisted living home conducted evacuation drills as required by fire code a month before the facility burned, killing two residents.
9NEWS Investigates obtained inspection reports for St. Francis Assisted Living II on Tuesday. They show an inspector had three concerns about the property dating back to November of last year.
That assisted living, located inside a single-family home in the Heritage Place neighborhood near Arapahoe Road and South Quebec Street, burned last Thursday in what South Metro Fire Rescue has called an accidental fire sparked by smoking material burning outside the home.
On Nov. 25, an inspector noted the facility didn’t have records of fire drills or emergency procedure paperwork on site. During a follow-up inspection on Feb. 13, the same inspector noted “report for emergency evacuation drills are not available and do not appear to be conducted.”
A spokeswoman for South Metro Fire Rescue told 9NEWS Investigates that the inspector noted staff members on site during the inspection didn’t seem to know what the inspector was asking for. But sometime since Feb. 13, the department confirms the facility submitted document a showing it regularly conducts evacuation drills, the department said. 9NEWS Investigates requested a copy of that document.
The reports also noted the facility hasn’t had documentation about their fire alarm system on site since November and had not had a working key inside a lockbox outside the home firefighters use in emergencies.
The report notes that on March 24, three days before the fire, the department sent the facility a form required to opt out having a working key inside their lock bock.
The owner of St. Francis Assisted Living II, a company called We Care Homes of Colorado, Inc., hadn’t responded to several voicemails and an e-mail from 9NEWS Investigates seeking at the time of publication.
According to the company’s website, the home in the 6600 block of South Oneida Court could accommodate up to 10 residents. South Metro Fire Rescue said six people were rushed to hospitals Thursday morning.
The Arapahoe County coroner confirmed to 9NEWS two men died in the fire – Alfred Brunson, 82, and Randy Beckwith, 73.
Contact 9NEWS Consumer Investigator Steve Staeger with tips about this or any story.