Tenants complained about what they believed to be the smell of natural gas before an Oct. 4 fire at a North Little Rock apartment complex that left three people dead, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday in Pulaski County circuit court.
During a news conference Thursday outside the Shorter College Gardens Apartments, attorneys stood alongside family members of the victims as well as individuals whose property was damaged, according to Terris C. Harris, an attorney with the Cochran Firm.
"What we do know from our investigation so far is that there were a number of complaints made about gas leaks. Nothing was done," Harris said.
Complaints also pointed out missing or inoperable smoke detectors and fire extinguishers, he said.
The complex is located at 800 N. Beech St.
Tarshermika Amos, Corey Hubbard, Antonio Cummins, Tesha Cummins and Carlos Bozeman filed suit individually and as wrongful-death beneficiaries of Wanda Bell-Freeman, one of the people who died in the fire.
Amos resides in Little Rock, Hubbard and Tesha Cummins in Milwaukee, Antonio Cummins in North Little Rock and Bozeman in Jacksonville, according to the complaint.
The complaint names Shorter College Gardens Inc., Millennia Housing Management, Summit Utilities, Summit Utilities Arkansas, Arkansas Oklahoma Gas Corp., CenterPoint Energy and Diedra Ladd.
It also names 10 unknown individuals or entities, referring to them as John Does 1-10.
[LAWSUIT: Read the tenants' request for a jury trial » arkansasonline.com/1014tenants/]
The complaint notes that Summit Utilities in January announced it had closed on an acquisition of the gas-distribution assets of CenterPoint Energy in Arkansas.
Before January, CenterPoint Energy was responsible for the gas distribution system in North Little Rock and should have known of any gas issues at 800 N. Beech St., the complaint says.
Bell-Freeman was a resident of the complex at the time of the fire and Eloise Childs, also a victim in the fire, was her guest, according to the complaint.
"In the weeks prior to October 4, 2022 -- and, more specifically on October 3, 2022, tenants complained to management, including but not limited to Defendant Diedra Ladd that they smelled what they believed to be natural gas," the complaint says. "In fact, on October 3, 2022, Wanda Bell-Freeman complained to management/maintenance about the smell of gas."
The complaint attributes the early-morning fire to "an explosion from the leaking gas."
When the blaze broke out, Bell-Freeman's apartment lacked "functioning and/or adequate smoke detectors, fire alarms, fire extinguishers, or other fire abatement equipment," the complaint says.
Maintenance personnel and managers at the Shorter College Gardens Apartments were inadequate and improperly trained at the time of the fire, the complaint alleges.
Defendants "collectively failed" their duty to protect residents and take reasonable safety measures, the complaint says. Claims include gross negligence and wrongful death.
When reached by phone Thursday, North Little Rock Fire Department Capt. Dustin Free said the investigation of the fire was still ongoing.
In response to a request for comment on the lawsuit, a Summit Utilities spokeswoman provided a statement.
"The loss of life is incredibly tragic and our hearts go out to the friends and family of those impacted," the utility company said. "We continue to work with the ongoing investigation into the cause of this event but do not comment on ongoing legal matters."
Valerie Jerome, a spokeswoman for the Millennia Companies -- the Ohio-based parent company of Millennia Housing Management -- said in a statement, "Regarding the cause, I confirmed that, at this time, the investigation is ongoing. While the investigation continues, the property management and leadership teams are working together with officials to respond to this tragedy and to support residents. ... I appreciate your commitment to reporting a balanced and factual story and caution against reporting on speculation or allegations (I can also confirm that there were no reports of gas leaks)."
Terris Harris, an attorney representing the families of two women killed and several of those injured in the Shorter College Gardens Apartments fire on Oct. 4, talks with families affected by the fire outside the apartment complex following a news conference on Thursday. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Stephen Swofford)