All victims accounted for in James Street fire
UTICA, N.Y. (WKTV) - The bodies of three men and one woman were pulled from the rubble of a burned out appartment building Sunday morning. Fire destroyed the James Street apartment building overnight, on the western edge of the Cornhill section of the city. According to Utica Police, all known occupants are now accounted for.
Firefighters responded to 102 James Street and reported that heavy smoke and fire were visible from the three-story building. The blaze broke out around 1:30am Sunday morning. There were initial reports of a female trapped on the second floor but it is not clear if she was the female victim. Fire officials say an initial aggressive attack had to be pulled back because the ceiling and floors were collapsing. According to Utica's Chief Fire Marshal Raymond Beck, the owner of the building, Timothy Klotz, was issued an appearance ticket in April of 2008 for failing to register the structure with the fire department rental dwelling inspection program. Klotz pleaded guilty in June of 2008 and was fined one hundred dollars. The plea also involved a conditional discharge that he register the property within 10 days. According to the Fire Marshall, fire department records indicate that the building was never registered, and that Klotz has eleven other properties that he was cited and fined for, and that these properties were never registered either. Utica Fire Chief Russell Brooks said that the recovery operation was more dangerous than fighting the fire itself. Heavy equipment was brought in to remove debris and allow firefighters access to the building. Most Popular
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