Corpus Christi Fire Department says there have been issues with the fire alarm system for months at Villa Del Sol Condominiums on North Beach. The fire department had to step in until the system is repaired.
Following Friday's fire that spread through building three at the condominium property, unit owners called our KRIS 6 Newsroom with concerns about the inactive fire alarm system. Many of them are concerned for the elderly residents who live there.
KRIS 6 News reporter, Alexis Scott, looked into it and spoke with Corpus Christi Fire Marshal, Randy Paige, who said the department was aware of the issue.
“Yes, we knew that. Their fire alarm system, for all three buildings, have been down for at least several months," Paige said.
Paige also mentioned one of the reasons is issues with the fire control panels. The property has been working to replace the entire fire system. However, there were some mishaps that occurred in building three, which is where the fire broke out on Friday afternoon.
“That one was fairly complete by the fire alarm company," Paige said. "Then they moved to another building. When they came back to do continued work on that building three, some contractors had come in and cut some of the lines when they were doing construction work.”
Which means the fire alarm company will have to repair the system all over again. Now knowing that information, the fire department put the property on “fire watch," which is standard in this situation.
"That’s where someone is assigned to roam the buildings. They’ve got 3 main things to do. Number one is the roaming, number two is if they see something they call 911, and the third one is to start notifying occupants.”
The fire watch personnel is selected by the property owner at Villa Del Sol.
As part of their investigation, the Corpus Christi Fire Department is speaking to all of the residents of these condos. They're asking each resident what they saw or heard just before the fire began.
The cause of the fire is still unknown.
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