DETROIT – Detroit officials admitted Thursday that residents should not have been living inside the apartment complex where five people were killed Wednesday in a massive fire.
The last city inspection of the building was in 2014, when the owner was told to get in compliance. Officials admitted the Building and Safety Department didn't follow up.
The apartment was run as a group home for men with mental challenges, but the owner didn't have a certificate of compliance or certificate of occupancy with the city.
Friends of the five men who were killed said it's an unspeakable tragedy.
"It was awful," Al Kendrick said. "My heart goes out to their family."
The fire was a tragedy, but it was also a crime.
Sources told Local 4 that a tenant was fighting with a roommate so he tied rags around items inside the unit and lit the rags on fire. He then lit a recliner on fire and threw it down the stairs.
Detroit fire officials said once a door was opened and Wednesday's severe winds poured into the building, the fire erupted like a bomb.
One of the tenants was inside and said a working smoke alarm saved his life.
"I opened the door, saw the smoke, got to the back door," he said.
Firefighters found James Johnson, 63, in a bottom unit and pulled him out of the building. He died at the hospital.
They found four other tenants -- Leo Dear, William Ballard, Norman Connors and Ramon Davis -- dead upstairs.
John Cavataio said he came to the apartment building to check on Davis, who was blind. Cavataio's wife became Davis' legal guardian just days ago.
"This is a tragedy," Cavataio said.
Now, the city is admitting it shouldn't have allowed anyone to live in the building.
"A lot of things will be dug out and dove into," Detroit Fire Department Deputy Chief David Fornell said.
A woman whose brother lived in the complex said he was able to escape the fire. She said she was happy with the home.
"All the services they provided were good," she said.
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