Feb. 20--BLOOMINGTON, IL-- An apartment building destroyed in a Feb. 10 fire had been cited for 226 code violations less than two weeks before the blaze, and earlier violations had caused the city to request its demolition in December.
A firefighter was injured in the fire and 29 people were left homeless. A cause of the fire at 1101 Gettysburg Drive has not been determined, according to Bloomington Fire Department. The 12-unit, two-story building was built in the 1970s.
Building co-owner Wayne Pelhank is set to appear before the city's administrative court Feb. 28 to answer alleged violations that include 19 counts of failing to install or having non-functioning smoke alarms in seven of the units. In a separate demolition request, filed in December, the city said the building was structurally unsound and had significant roof leaks and water-logged ceilings, walls and carpeting.
Pelhank's attorney declined comment Tuesday. Pelhank and the city attorney assigned to the case could not be immediately reached Tuesday morning.
The city confirmed it had notified Pelhank the property needed to be demolished; he and Ann Pelhank bought the property for $360,000 in January 2000. Wayne Pelhank also is listed as owner of 12 other properties in Bloomington.
According to city records, code inspectors completed an initial inspection of 1101 Gettysburg Drive on Sept. 6 and found 262 violations. The Pelhanks were given until Nov. 28 to correct them, but the compliance date was extended after neither they nor a representative showed up Nov. 28.
About eight violations had been fixed when a city inspector re-inspected the property on Dec. 18 and the Pelhanks were given a final extension to complete repairs. At the Jan. 30 re-inspection, the inspector noted 226 violations that included smoke alarm problems, missing doors, windows that wouldn't open, improperly installed doorknobs, damage from water leaks, and cockroaches. Various violations were found in all 12 apartments, the report said.
Not every apartment was leased the day of the fire.
The Pelhanks and a bank that holds the mortgage on the property were named defendants in a civil complaint the city filed Dec. 15 in McLean County Circuit Court. The city requested demolition of the building unless the "unsafe" conditions were addressed by the owners. A case management hearing is set for June 7.
In the circuit court complaint, Deputy Corporate Counsel Angela Fyans-Jimenez alleged flooring in an upper-floor bedroom had buckled due to water damage and needed to be replaced. A water-damaged ceiling, walls, carpet and padding needed to be replaced, according to court documents.
___ (c)2018 The Pantagraph (Bloomington, Ill.) Visit The Pantagraph (Bloomington, Ill.) at www.pantagraph.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
