A mother and daughter who died from injuries in a house fire should not have been in the home, which the city condemned one day prior, city officials say..
SAGINAW, MI — A mother and daughter who died from injuries in a house fire should not have been in the home, which the city condemned one day prior, city officials say.
Three people were in the home at 1732 Wood St. in Saginaw when a fire ripped through it about 10:20 p.m. on Feb. 13.
Saginaw firefighters rescued a 41-year-old Melissa Shook and her 71-year-old mother, Adair Smithpeters, from the home, according to Michigan State Police Lt. David Kaiser.
Smithpeters‘ 38-year-old son, who also lived there, escaped the fire before firefighters arrived, according to officials.
Shook died shortly after the fire and Smithpeters died the morning of Feb. 14 at Detroit Receiving Hospital.
Second house fire victim dies
According to John Stemple, city chief inspector, said the home was condemned due to a number of housing violations.
„There were living conditions that required immediate action from both tenant and landlord, including sanitation issues,“ Stemple said.
An inspector visited the home on Feb. 8 and informed the residents that they had to have the violations fixed before Feb. 12, Stemple said.
On Feb. 12, the inspector returned and the violations were still outstanding so the inspector condemned the home and informed the family that they had until 5 p.m. that day to vacate the premises, according to Stemple.
Stemple said it was his understanding that the family was preparing to leave because the inspector helped Smithpeters‘ son push his car out of the snow and the son informed him that he was going to Detroit.
Residents are allowed to stay until 5 p.m. of the day they are told to vacate the premises while gathering their things, Stemple said.
The landlord is notified and it becomes their responsibility to maintain vacancy until such time that the property isn’t condemned, Stemple said.
Police did not release the name of Smithpeters‘ son.
Firefighters have not released the cause of the fire.
