While firefighters sift through the still smoldering debris of the overnight deadly fire in Spring Valley, News 12 is digging into the paper trail of the Evergreen Court Home for adults, which has had four operators since opening two decades ago.
The New York state Health Department is primarily in charge of the oversight of the assisted living facility, so News 12 looked at its safety inspections dating back nearly five years.
News 12's Tara Rosenblum discovered a total of 27 violations from six inspections starting on Oct. 1, 2016.
Sixteen of those violations came from just one visit in December 2019, and referenced multiple fire regulations including the maintenance and testing of its fire alarm, sprinkler system and fire extinguishers.
Assemblyman Ken Zebrowski has led the recent charge for stricter code enforcement in Rockland County. And while he says it's too soon to jump to conclusions regarding this latest tragedy, the area surrounding the facility has been a known trouble spot for years.
News 12 also reached out to the Rockland County Health Department, which also conducts yearly inspections of the property due to the fact they hold a rooming house and food permit.
During a visit only last month, News 12 was told there were no obvious problems with the smoke alarm or sprinkler systems.
Zebrowski is calling for a coordinated investigation between state and local officials.