Deadly Worcester Fire: Smoke Alarms Required In Area Tenants Say None Were: City

WORCESTER, MA — The Worcester triple-decker where four people died in a May blaze may have been missing key piece of fire protection equipment.

Two former Gage Street tenants — including one who jumped out a third-floor window to escape the fire on May 14 — told Patch that fire alarms were missing from the back stairwell and porches because it's where residents smoked. Survivors have said they saw flames originating from the bottom of the back stairway.

Commissioner of Inspectional Services Christopher Spencer said some type of fire alarm would be required in an area like a back stairwell or porch area.

"Smoke or heat detecting systems are required in all common areas," Spencer said in an email.

Acting City Manager Eric Batista's office declined to allow Spencer to be interviewed and only responded to written questions. The city would not directly address the Gage Street property, citing the ongoing investigation into the fire.

Asked about the lack of alarms, property owner Huanchen Li told Patch during a phone interview on July 6 that he didn't believe the alarms were required.

"Everything is up to code. Nobody asked me to put alarms [there]," he said during a phone call.

"That's a porch, it's not a part of the building — it's a porch," he continued, referring to the back stairwell.

Spencer also said rental property owners are only required to maintain — not necessarily increase— fire protection systems.

"Building owners are required to maintain whatever level of fire protection system is in place and are not permitted to decrease that level," he said in response to a question about whether Gage Street was required to have a sprinkler system. "However, beyond the smoke and carbon monoxide detector requirements, the city cannot require an existing legal three-family building to install sprinkler systems if no changes are being made. However, sprinklers may be required based on a change of use in the building or a level or area of renovation that would trigger such a requirement."

Of the four people who died in the May 14 fire, all either lived on the third floor or were there when the fire broke out: Joseph Garchali, 47; Christopher Lozeau, 53; Vincent Page, 41; and Marcel Fontaine, 29.

A Worcester City Council subcommittee on Tuesday will discuss several improvements to the city's rental laws. Those include a registry of rental properties, and a requirement that rental properties undergo an inspection at least once every five years.

"The city will continue and increase our education and outreach to landlords and tenants about general safety," Spencer said in an email. "The city is also considering a rental registry and inspection program, which will allow better communication with landlords and ensure that all residential rental units are inspected on a periodic basis."

The 2 Gage St. home that burned in May was the site of numerous housing code violations over the past decade, according to city records. But Spencer would not say if the owners were considered problem landlords by city inspectors.

"Worcester tracks problem properties and landlords informally through our property analysis software. We are looking to build a more robust database and formalize the process to involve multiple departments and determine set criteria for what constitutes a problem property," he said. "Ultimately, this will help to connect landlords with available grants or potential buyers that would be more responsive to the tenants’ and buildings’ needs."

A group of investigations including Worcester police and state police assigned to the Worcester County District Attorney's Office are still investigating the cause and origin of the Gage Street fire.

Fire investigations can often take months to complete. It took about three months for officials to determine the cause of the December 2018 fire that led to Worcester firefighter Christopher Roy's death.