NEW CITY – The Rockland County Office of Buildings and Codes Monday inspected 120 and 122 S. Lake Street in the Village of Spring Valley owned by Jacob Jeremias, who also owns 118 S. Lake Street the site of Saturday’s fatal fire.
On Saturday March 4, a fire broke out at 118 S. Lake Street in Spring Valley that resulted in five fatalities, including two children.
“While the cause, origin, and circumstances of this fire are still under investigation, I directed our Office of Buildings and Codes to inspect all properties owned by Mr. Jeremias and had our Center for Rockland Codes Investigations look into prior violations at the properties as well,” said County Executive Ed Day. “We are utilizing every tool at our disposal to protect residents.”
Single and two-family homes, which all properties involved are classified as, are not subject to required inspections under state law but all tenants in 120 & 122 S. Lake Street properties allowed county inspectors to enter and inspect the properties for safety concerns.
The building and codes department is still finalizing the number of violations found Monday at 120 & 122 S. Lake Street properties but can confirm numerous issues were discovered that include:
- single-room occupancies
- electrical issues
- missing smoke & carbon monoxide detectors
“Our joint investigation with the Spring Valley Police Department into the fire at 118 S. Lake Street, Spring Valley is still ongoing but preliminarily has been able to confirm that smoke detectors were present in the structure. The exact cause of the fire has not yet been confirmed but was very likely accidental and related to electrical issues within the structure,” said Sheriff Louis Falco.
The county department inspected 116 S. Lake Street on Saturday, which is also under Jeremias’ ownership, immediately after the fire. That property was cited for multiple violations including illegal conversions.
The County Office of Buildings and Codes assumed control of the Village of Spring Valley Building Department as ordered by the state Department of State effective February 14, 2022, and in that time has not received any complaints about 116, 118, 120 or 122 S. Lake Street.
A deeper investigation by the County of Rockland into 118 S. Lake Street revealed the Center for Rockland Codes Investigations had five prior complaint cases for the property from 2015 through 2021.
On Monday the Rockland County Department of Health’s Healthy Neighborhoods Program provided safety outreach and education to neighbors in the vicinity, including smoke and carbon monoxide alarm installations with the Red Cross.
“We will hold all property owners responsible for putting lives at risk and make sure egregious violations are remedied immediately,” Day said.
