(Image provided by the City of Oshkosh)
An Oskhosh city official says a duplex fire shows the need for their rental property inspection law.
That fire broke out yesterday in the 200 block of High Avenue around 2:45 a.m.
A family of eight woke up and got out safely without the help of a smoke detector.
Oshkosh chief building official John Zarate says under old state rules building inspections had to be citywide but with a change in law they’ve now modified inspections to targeted areas.
He says that includes spots with high police or maintenance calls and most of them fall around the U-W Oshkosh campus.
The duplex on High Avenue was never inspected because it’s out of the targeted zone.
Zarate says because of that change in state law compliance is now voluntary.
He says of the 30 rental properties inspected since the law went into effect roughly 20 didn’t have working smoke alarms.
