Fire code violations close St. Thomas apartment [Video]

The St. Thomas Fire Department says it was an extreme case of renoviction that led to the closure of an apartment building in the south end of the city, following numerous safety violations.

“During an inspection from a complaint, we came across a building that has severe fire code deficiencies to the point that it wasn’t safe to let the people stay in the building,” explained Chief Fire Prevention Officer Kim Destun.

Destun said the owner of the Elm Street walkup apartment building had been renovating, and knocked out a number of fire walls, which prevent spreading between units.

She said the renovation work was being done without permits.

Many of the two dozen tenants had already moved out of the building over the last few weeks, but there were still about a half dozen people residing in unsafe conditions in the building, she said.

She said many of the …