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State Fire Marshal report on fatal fire: no working smoke detectors at Kalamazoo hotel

Posted at 8:25 PM, Nov 28, 2017
and last updated 2017-11-28 20:25:27-05

KALAMAZOO COUNTY, Mich. —  Kalamazoo County Undersheriff James Vandyken says investigators found no working smoke detectors inside the Comstock Motor Court Hotel following a fatal fire. But he confirms to FOX 17 that multiple code violations allegedly were found inside some of the residential units.

Undersheriff Vandyken says a Michigan State Police fire marshal made that determination after 46-year-old Aimee Lambert was found dead at the hotel on King Highway on November 18th. Police say the fire started around 3 a.m. in Lambert’s apartment. The fire was contained to that unit, and no other injuries were reported.

Vandyken says no criminal investigation is expected at this point, and the general investigation is winding down. He adds that, three weeks before the fatal fire, hotel unit #8 was declared “unsafe”, and was condemned. Also, investigators said in a report that 10 code violations had been discovered in that unit, and several in unit #10.

All of the hotel’s units were inspected Monday, after investigators ordered them brought up to code.