History Of Broken Smoke Alarms Before Fatal Apartment Complex Fire Uncovered In Marin County: Report

SAN RAFAEL, CA — City records show that the apartment complex that was destroyed by fire, killing two people, had a history of inoperable smoke alarms, according to a report by the Marin Independent Journal.

On Aug. 21., two residents died and eight were injured in the fire at 516 Canal St.

While the investigation is ongoing and there is no news of what caused the fire that killed Tracey Lowmiller and Pamela Scoggins and displaced over 50 residents, the Marin IJ pulled city records that showed the last time the apartments were inspected there were six safety violations for nonfunctioning or missing smoke alarms.

San Rafael fire Deputy Chief Robert Sinnott told the Marin IJ that the complex passed the August fire safety inspection “with a reasonable degree of compliance." He later clarified that the annual inspection covers only exterior and common areas, not apartment unit smoke detectors, which are tested by the city's code enforcement on a five-year cycle.

A July 8, 2020 reinspection cited nine safety violations for nonfunctioning or missing smoke alarms. Four were repeats from the March inspection, and five were new.

Nonfunctioning smoke alarms were a recurring issue at the complex. A city inspection on June 25, 2014 resulted in six citations for faulty alarms.

The owner of the building, Scott Bassin, declined to comment, according to the Marin IJ.

Read the full story at the Marin Independent Journal.