"The Kenwood high-rise apartment building that caught fire Wednesday afternoon, leaving one person dead and multiple people injured and displaced has had a history of unaddressed safety violations.
The fire erupted at Harbor Square starting on the 15th floor spreading all the way to the 24th floor. Firefighters believe the fire started in apartment 1508 where an elderly man is left dead.
Chicago’s Life Safety & High-rise Ordinance is intended to better protect the lives of residents in pre-1975 built high-rises. High-rises built in 1975 or later are required to have sprinkler systems. However, those built before were not required to have them and that can lead to tragic results.
The city updated safety codes but many buildings are still not in compliance leaving the safety of residents in peril. All high-rise buildings should be retrofitted with sprinklers and funding should be available to make it possible. What are your thoughts?
