Las Vegas police repeatedly tried to make a chronic nuisance case against the Alpine Motel before a fatal fire in 2019, but city officials said the apartments didn’t meet the standards.
Alpine Motel Fire
Former residents of Alpine Motel filed a lawsuit on Monday against the building’s owner and companies that installed alarm systems.
Federal agents looked into the owner and other properties as part of a 2019 investigation, months before the downtown building was the site of a deadly fire.
Following a court hearing last week, an investigation conducted by civil attorneys into the cause of the Alpine Motel Apartments fire began on Wednesday morning.
Adolfo Orozco’s attorney argued for the cellphone to be returned and any future search be limited to the deadly December fire. A judge Tuesday sided with police.
The downtown apartment building, focus of a criminal investigation, was burglarized three days last week and officers arrested two suspects.
Problems plagued Adolfo Orozco’s real estate enterprise long before a December fire, according to interviews with former tenants-turned-workers and hundreds of records.
The lawsuits, which were filed Friday, claim that owner Adolfo Orozco failed to maintain necessary utilities as well as safety equipment such as sprinklers and fire alarms.
“This is our community, and we want to make sure everyone is taken care of as much as possible,” said the Rev. Courtney Krier of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church.
A court filing shows investigators seized an Alpine owner’s cellphone and alleges that a live-in property manager “ordered” the rear door bolted shut before the deadly Dec. 21 fire.
Residents were frustrated that it could take additional weeks before they can get their things. They were also upset that they never got a chance to testify.
The release of Las Vegas police body camera videos paints a more complete picture of how officers and firefighters worked together on the morning of the Alpine Motel Apartments fire.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal sued the Metropolitan Police Department on Thursday for records related to the historic Alpine Motel Apartments fire.
The staff report expected Feb. 5 will review the current inspection process and detail how other cities handle inspections.
After the December fire left six dead, and a criminal investigation was opened, concerns about evidence preservation and asbestos exposure complicate the issue.