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The inside of the residential property was extensively damaged and the man had suffered serious burn injuries. The investigators of the fire suggested that the fire had extinguished itself due to a lack of oxygen because there were no windows open at the time. The fire appears to have started in the lounge room because of the amount of damages that were present. While there were no cooking devices in use in that room, there were some cigarettes that were found, investigators are still looking into what caused the fire. The elderly man was said to have been in good health before the fire and was last seen by other residents the night before the fire. The man had a relative living elsewhere in the village. The management of the retirement village chose not to comment on the man’s death and police officials are still trying to figure out what time the blaze started or how long the house may have been on fire before the alarms were able to activate.

If the alarms on the property were faulty and the fire had been going on much longer before they picked up the fire, the next of kin could file a case against the retirement home whose responsibility is the upkeep of these properties. There is also question as to whether or not the man had lived alone or if someone was possibly hired for his care. Regardless of the cause, if you lose a loved one in these types of circumstances you should hire a professional to investigate the cause and find the responsible party.
 

The mobile home where Anderson lived had damage along the kitchen wall and along the ceiling. Soot was also discovered on the windows of the home. There is no information connecting Anderson’s death with the fire that spread through his home.

According to the report, Anderson was a person that kept to himself constantly and even went as far as to turn off or lower the ringer on his phone so as not to be disturbed. The problem with this is that there is no way to determine if a person’s wellbeing is compromised or not. There is no way to determine if they are in any danger because there is no way to communicate with them. Unfortunately, this lack of communication leads to incidents like this one because it is difficult to constantly check on a person, especially if they live a certain distance away.
 

James and Donna Beerman, operators of the Bright New Horizons group home, were arrested for causing the death of 23-year-old Frank Klekner last August 5.  They were both charged with "causing death by failing to comply with a law intended to protect the public health and safety."  This is a second-degree crime, with a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

Bright New Horizons is a residential group home that provides transitional housing for people in recovery from substance abuse and addiction.  Investigators believe the fire was caused by improperly extinguished smoking material.  After an extensive investigation, it was determined that the Bright New Horizons facility had no safety measures in place, including fire alarms, sprinklers, or emergency exit signs.  In addition, though the facility was only licensed for six residents, there were at least 11 people living there at the time of the fire.

Group home operators are responsible for properly maintaining their facilities and complying with all state regulations.  If the negligent maintenance of a group home has caused injury or wrongful death to a loved one, you should visit Solomon & Relihan's Group Home Abuse website.