University of Minnesota copes with fire deaths

The University of Minnesota sophomore who jumped to safety from the second-floor window of his burning duplex returned to the house Sunday, one day after smoke and flames claimed the lives of three of his housemates, all young U of M students.\nThe man declined to identify himself or talk publicly about the fire. Instead, he limped around the outside his apartment, maneuvering around yellow tape and making sure to step away from the discarded propane tank and grill that was among the litter on the front lawn.\n"He's got to be the key person, a good witness. He probably knows a lot," Minneapolis Fire Battalion Chief Gary Piekarczyk said after conferring with the man Sunday morning across the street from the damaged house. The survivor, at times emotional, told Piekarczyk he wanted to talk with one of the fire investigators about what he knew.\nQuestions loom about whether the residence was equipped with operating smoke detectors, had proper exits and whether there were overcrowding issues. A Minneapolis councilman vowed Sunday to urge the city to conduct an inspections sweep of the university area housing.\nSunday afternoon, local and federal investigators worked through paperwork and evidence -- some of it shipped to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension for analysis -- but could not say precisely what sparked the blaze. Fire officials are looking at the possibility the blaze began on the porch. The Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also is involved in the investigation because there were multiple deaths.\nThe families of the young people killed arranged funerals, and two parents questioned the safety of the home that they had moved their children into at the beginning of the month.\nElizabeth Wencl, 20, of Owatonna, Amanda Speckien, 19, of Vadnais Heights, and Brian Heiden, 19, of Racine, Wis., all died of smoke inhalation in the fire. Two young women were rescued from the basement, the young man jumped from the second-floor window and an adult man and woman in a separate apartment in back escaped safely.\nThe fathers of Heiden and Wencl related in separate interviews that they felt a certain unease about their children's new home.\nThere was a problem with a natural gas leak in the home during move-in, but they said the problem was taken care of quickly. Battery-operated smoke detectors were in place, said Richard Heiden of Racine.\n"I didn't like the place. It was old," said Roger Wencl of Owatonna. "We didn't know of other problems other than it being an old building. But now that we look back, we think it was probably unsafe."\nCity council member Paul Zerby, whose ward includes the home where the fire occurred, has been concerned for some time about the safety conditions in some of the rental housing in the university area. He said he would propose an inspection sweep to look for substandard housing.\n"Often times a tragedy like this will prompt an impetus for better things to be done," he said. "It's a big, chronic problem in the university area."\nPatrick Eischens owned the property, according to county property records. His brother, Jim Eischens, said over the weekend that he was the landlord. Zerby and housing advocates said the Eischens have been the subject of numerous complaints about their student housing.\n"They are clearly on the radar screen as landlords with a lot of problems raised," Zerby said. "But I don't know if there was anything wrong in that house."\nNeither Patrick nor Jim Eischens could be reached for comment Sunday.\nSince the cause of the off-campus fire was still in the preliminary stages of investigation, it was too early to say if the school will make any new recommendations on student housing, said University President Robert Bruininks. The university had been exploring making its off-campus housing list more restrictive. Current policy allows any licensed landlord to be listed upon request with the housing office. The school is researching whether to make the list only open to landlords who don't have long histories of housing violations or records of poor relations with students.\n"That was under development before the tragedy, but (the fire) has strengthened our resolve on the matter," Bruininks said.\nSunday, curious neighbors stopped at the house. They came by the carload, on foot and bicycle to catch a glimpse of the place where young lives were lost.\nA sympathy card, accompanied by two roses and a carnation, was placed on a discarded door that blocked the steps leading to the house. The card was addressed to victim Elizabeth Wencl.\nThe handwritten note read, in part: "Liz, We don't always understand the ways of the Lord … But we trust his choices … (and) he chose you." The card was signed "God Bless! With loving memories, your Owatonna cheerleaders and friends"