Fire Officials Give Two Dozen Tenants In Unfinished Building The Boot; Developer Nearing Foreclosure Allowed Renters To Move In, Despite No COs

In Pawtucket, Rhode Island, The Providence Journal reports:

• A scene of desperate economic times played out [Wednesday] inside a former mill, where fire officials evicted as many as 28 people because their new apartments were so unfinished as to be fire hazards. The project manager said she allowed the tenants in — even though their apartments lacked sprinklers or occupancy certificates — because she feared losing them as customers.

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• Fire officials made a surprise visit to the complex Tuesday after receiving a tip that people were living in what amounts to an active construction site. Fire Chief Timothy P. McLaughlin said they discovered that the project had no working fire alarm or sprinkler system and limited emergency lighting, and that people had unrestricted access to areas under construction and demolition.

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• McLaughlin said First National Development began moving people in last fall to stave off a threat of foreclosure.

For more, see Fire officials evict tenants at unfinished apartment complex.