Settlement Reached After 2012 Fire

Settlement agreements have been reached in lawsuits involving the families of nine victims killed in a Charleston house fire. The Gazette-Mail reports a judge approved the agreements last week in nine cases filed against Delores Shamblin, who owned the home where the March 2012 fire occurred. The fire claimed the lives of seven children and two adults. The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives ruled the cause of the fire “undetermined.” The lawsuits, which were consolidated, said that Shamblin failed to maintain smoke alarms and did nothing about recurring electrical problems. State law requires landlords to install smoke detectors in each rental unit bedroom, among other places. The settlement amounts are confidential.