Deadly fire moves Ohio officials to act

Cincinnati officials will propose new smoke-detector law

2/19/2013

CINCINNATI  — Cincinnati officials are proposing legislation requiring rental properties to have enhanced smoke detectors.

The effort by Cincinnati Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls and Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld is being driven by the death of two University of Cincinnati students following a New Year's Day fire at a rented house near campus.

The Cincinnati Enquirer said the officials are expected to propose legislation today that would require all rental properties in the city to be equipped with photoelectric smoke detectors.

Photoelectric detectors are better at sensing a smoldering fire than the more common ionization detectors.

The students who died were sleeping on the third floor of the house. The fire produced minimal flames, but deadly smoke went up the stairs as if it were a chimney.