Updated April 24, 2023, after a third fire killed two people. One person died in a Duluth apartment fire at the same building where a fire killed a tenant last August. Firefighters arrived at the two-story, eight-unit building at 631 East Third Street in East Hillside on Sunday afternoon. Crews contained the fire to an apartment on the first floor where they found 48-year-old Matthew Hurt dead in his apartment after extinguishing the fire. A dog found alive in the same unit is now being taken care of by a neighbor. Other tenants evacuated but returned to their apartments later that day.
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Fatal Fires Are Recurring Problem At Duluth Apartment Building
There has been a fatal fire at the apartment building on East Third Street every year since 2020. Before Hurt’s death in 2021, a 36-year-old man died when a fire broke out in August 2020. In April 2023, a third fire killed 52-year-old Michelle “Micki” Olson and her 24-year-old son Patrick. A family friend set up a Go Fund Me page to help support the Olson family. According to family members, Patrick helped save lives in the 2020 fire.
Condemnation cases were filed after the first two fatal fires but the building was cleared to re-open when it was brought back up to code. After the third fatal fire in 2023, the Deputy Chief of Life Safety told the Duluth News Tribune that the building would likely be a candidate for demolition. The St. Louis County Assessor lists the property owner as John D. Ramsey and the taxpayer as Timothy J. Johnson, who also served as the landlord.
Significant Increase in Duluth Structure Fires Since 2020
In the last year, there have been more structure fires in Duluth than there have been in the past decade. Fire damage more than doubled from 2019 to $3.8 million. According to data reported by the Duluth Fire Department, there were 141 structure fires reported in 2020. This number is the highest reported since 2009 and the first year where more than 100 fires were reported since 2015.
Wrongful Death Lawsuit Information
If your family member died in an apartment fire, you may have the right to file a wrongful death lawsuit on their behalf. While no amount of money could ever make up for your loss, pursuing a wrongful death claim will bring those accountable to justice and provide financial support for your family during this difficult time.
About the Pritzker Hageman Fire and Explosion Lawyers
The Pritzker Hageman fire lawyers represent Minnesota families who lost a loved one in apartment fires. We have been helping clients get the justice and compensation they deserve for the past 40 years. Our burn injury legal team recently obtained a significant recovery for families whose loved ones died in a 2019 fire at Cedar High Apartments in Minneapolis.
We have obtained 100+ separate verdicts and settlements greater than $1 million:
We obtained this settlement for a man who lost his arm and leg in a gas pipeline explosion.
Our client suffered a traumatic brain injury and burn injuries over 60% of his body in an explosion caused by improperly-odorized propane.
Our client suffered burn injuries over 50% of her body when a compressed natural gas line ruptured in a factory, causing an explosion.
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