Fire Marshal to Lakeville Store Owner: Clear Out the Vacuums

The owner of a Lakeville repair shop has been cited by Dakota County for failing to keep his store’s fire exits clear.

Specifically, county officials say, Gilbert Marcus Lunning, 62, who owns Lakeville Vacuum on Cedar Avenue, has too many vacuum cleaners—and those machines are blocking the doors.

According to court documents, Lakeville Fire Marshal Brian Carstensen and a city building official conducted a safety and fire hazard inspection of Lunning’s store on June 24.

“During the inspection, it was discovered that the business was storing so many used vacuum cleaners that the exits were partially and/or completely blocked,” the complaint says.

Carstensen explained to Lunning that he needed to keep all exits clear, under provisions of the Minnesota fire code.

Lunning said he had made phone calls to the owners of about six of the vacuums in his shop’s entryway, but the owners weren’t responding, according to the complaint.

Carstensen told Lunning that it was a “good start,” but at least 100 other vacuums in the shop also needed to be removed.

Carstensen noted that every time Lunning’s store is inspected, the number of vacuums grows.

The maximum penalty for the violation is 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine. An arraignment hearing in Lunning’s case is scheduled for Aug. 2 in Dakota County District Court in Apple Valley.