Heidi Mansion Fire in Portland Ends in Nearly $13 Million Out-of-Court Settlements
PORTLAND, Ore. — A fire at Heidi Manor apartments in Northeast Portland that claimed the lives of three young people and injured another has been settled out of court with payments of nearly $13 million to the families.
The Fire Claimed Three Lives and Injured Another
The 2021 fire claimed the lives of Seth Robert Thompson (31), and his girlfriend Kelsi Edmonds (26), who both died in hospital after jumping 30 feet to the ground from an upper skywalk to escape the flames.
Their roommate, William Gremillion (31), died in the fire on the upper skywalk that buckled in the heat, throwing his body into the parking lot below.
The fourth roommate, Jonathan Kinney (32), escaped safely after squeezing past the flames.
The wrongful death and injuries settlements were made by the apartment owners, Cosmos Investments, paying $5.85 million, the City of Portland approving a $500,000 settlement, and the insurer for Heiberg Garbage & Recycling, paying $400,000 (Heiberg provided a garbage service to the apartment complex), and David Nase Property Management/Construction Corp., the apartments’ property manager, had previously agreed to pay more than $6 million.
The global settlement was reached days before the November 4 trial date set to start in Multnomah County Circuit Court.
Fire Believed to Have Started When Fireworks Ignited Trash in a Plastic Dumpster
Portland fire investigators previously reported that the fire was suspected to have been started when fireworks ignited trash in a plastic dumpster in a carport under the apartments on the west side of the wooden complex.
The fire soon spread to the skywalk and central wooden stairs exits.
The four roommates lived in Apartment 4, two stories directly above the dumpster, and were alerted to the flames at 3.30 a.m. on July 4, 2021.
Six months before the fire, a dumpster placed in front of the apartment complex was moved into the complex grounds because of suspected illegal dumping and overflowing trash, according to depositions filed in the case.
Heiberg Garbage & Recycling Co. then placed a flammable plastic dumpster in the carport below the occupied units, according to court documents.
Placement of a Dumpster Violated the City Fire Code
Fire investigators said the placement of the plastic trash container violated the city fire code. Dumpsters must not be placed within 5ft. of combustible walls, openings, or roof eave lines – Heidi Manor was a wooden structure.
The owners of the apartment complex had been cited by the city council 11 years earlier for leaving a dumpster too close to combustible walls.
The owners have in turn filed suit against the City of Portland, alleging negligence in failing to undertake a timely fire hazard inspection of the apartment complex, or notifying the owners or management of any existing fire hazards.
The apartment complex owners alleged that a central alarm system was removed from the premises and said the City of Portland should have tried to replace the alarm system. The city, however, denied fault, saying the damage was caused by others.