The Virginian-Pilot
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JAMES CITY COUNTY
The landlord of a property that was heavily damaged by fire Tuesday morning was charged for not having working smoke detectors, according to a news release from the district chief.
The James City County Fire Marshal's Office obtained a warrant charging Ned Cary Jr. with a violation of the county's smoke detector ordinance, the news release said. He was charged with failure to provide certified documentation of the presence of operating smoke detectors in a rental property, which is a misdemeanor.
About 8:20 a.m. Tuesday, two people suffered minor injuries when a candle burning on a table near some bedding materials caught fire, said Bob Ryalls of the James City County Fire Department.
A man tried to put the fire out, but the clothes he used to beat at the flames caught fire, Ryalls said. The fire, on Wallace Road near Merrimac Trail, quickly got out of control. Both people escaped with minor injuries.
The fire marshal determined the fire to be accidental, a news release from Ryalls said. It also said that there were two smoke detectors in the home that did not have batteries, making them inoperable during the fire.
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Yep, blame the landlord
I bet the TV remote had working batteries though.
Couldn't they just buy some
Couldn't they just buy some batteries? Why didn't they let the landlord know about the smoke detectors? Doesn't the fire department give away free smoke detectors? I am just curious as to why the landlord is being held responsible, when every person should make sure that there are smoke detectors in the home and that they are working properly.. This would fall under common sense!