Kennewick officials shut down apartment complex for fire code violations

A small Kennewick apartment complex was declared unsafe and residents told they had to vacate their homes because of dangerous fire code violations.

A recent annual inspection by the Kennewick Fire Department found many violations at the Ansil Hall and River of Life Church Apartments at 2625 W. Bruneau Place, just east of Vista Way, said Fire Chief Chad Michael.

Issues included no working smoke detectors and frayed wiring.

The building had six second-floor apartments that appeared to be occupied by adults, plus space for offices, a business and a church, which were not included in the closure.

Code issues serious enough to closed down apartments are very unusual and were not taken lightly, said Michael.

Kennewick police and fire department, the city attorney and the city building officials all were involved in the issue, he said.

The church opened the apartments several years ago as a residence hall for people 18 to 24 years old who were low income and homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, but it was unclear if that was still how the apartments were being used.

When the order to vacate was served on Friday, a representative of Benton County Social Services was on hand to help anyone who needed to find a place to live.

“It is very unsafe for people to be living there, but, part 2 of that, is that it is unsafe for emergency responders,” said Michael.

The apartments were not required to have a sprinkler system or alarm system, which would have been preferable, he said.

But without even working smoke detectors, it is likely that any night time or early morning fire would have been far along before it was discovered, he said.

With people are living in the apartments, firefighters would go in during a nighttime fire searching for anyone possibly still inside and put themselves in danger, he said.

The fire chief, a deputy fire marshal and the captain for fire prevention inspected the apartments, which had previously been checked in March 2020.

Code violations

Violations were immediately evident, Michael said.

The most concerning were:

▪ No working smoke alarms.

▪ Exit lights that were not operable or appeared to be wired incorrectly, making them possibly inoperable during a fire.

Exit lights are important during a fire because people who breath in smoke may have difficulty thinking clearly and need help finding their way to an exit, Michael said.

▪ Exit paths were not clear.

▪ Some electrical wiring was damaged or frayed.

▪ Electrical wiring was routed through doorways and walls.

▪ Fire extinguishers need to be inspected and maintained.

▪ A comprehensive and accurate floor plan needed to be provided to the fire department.

If the most serious issues are not corrected in a matter of days, residents cannot reoccupy the building and the city could take further action.

The wiring issues, if not repaired, could impact the other parts of the building that are in use, Michael said.