CLEVELAND — It’s been nearly six months since an explosion tore through the Garden Valley apartments on Cleveland’s East Side. A father was killed, five others were taken to the hospital, and over 100 people were left without a home. Now, Ward 5 Cleveland City Councilman Richard Starr is asking the city for answers.
Starr sent Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb a letter requesting his assistance in providing follow-up on the explosion at Garden Valley.
In the letter, Starr said that, despite the gravity of this incident and the passage of time, no investigative report has been made available to his office. He also says this matter remains highly sensitive. Families have been displaced, the community has been profoundly affected, and residents continue to seek clarity about the circumstances and assurances regarding their safety.
In an interview, Starr told News 5 he has sent multiple letters since June and has not received anything to inform the community members who were impacted.
“On October 15, we got a meeting after that August letter was sent. We had a formal sit down, where the mayor team came and gave me and the residents some understanding of what is going on with the actual investigation and how the investigation was turned over. I haven't heard from the city of Cleveland since October and my last communication that the families and I received was that the Ohio State Fire Marshals Parsons division was conducting their investigation. And we were told they will be wrapping it up in the coming weeks. So, me being who I am, I try to stay in line of understanding, and I sent another letter to find out where we are,” said Starr.
In the letter, Starr said that a particular concern is the absence of a code violation issued by the Cleveland Building and Housing Department, despite the structure remaining standing and not having been demolished. And given the severity of the explosion and the apparent condition of the building, it is unclear to him why enforcement actions such as citations or condemnation have not been pursued. Starr says the lack of a visible regulatory response has raised questions in the community about accountability and oversight.
RELATED: 5 hospitalized, residents displaced after explosion, fire at apartment building
Starr is asking the city to formally request the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to investigate potential negligence by the property management and ownership, with particular focus on tenant safety and property maintenance. disputes or withholding. And for representatives from the Cleveland Building and Housing Department, HUD, the Clerk of Courts, and the Cleveland Housing Court to address these critical issues affecting residents.
“I would like to be able to find out what initially happened with the fire explosion, second going from there what are the steps to make sure we hold whoever is liable accountable for what took place? We must talk about the reality of the situation; we have a loss of life, Cordell Sheffield lost his life trying to save individuals and his children. And I want to know what we are going to do to start holding these landlords, these property owners and property management accountable for their actions when residents are requesting issues that need to be addressed and making sure, they are being addressed within a 24 hour or 48-hour time frame,” said Starr.
Starr says that since sending the letter on Monday, the 15th, Bibb's administration has responded and is scheduling a meeting in the coming weeks.
News 5 reached out to Bibb's office, and they sent back this statement:
“We appreciate Councilman Starr's attention to the critical situation surrounding the Rainbow Terrace explosion. The safety and well-being of our residents remain the Bibb administration's highest priority, and we are committed to ensuring this incident is thoroughly investigated. We look forward to meeting with councilman Starr and working together on a path forward.”
“I believe the mayor is going to do everything in his willpower to address this issue, based off the conversation that I had with him,” said Starr.
