Workers Find 16th Victim of Hotel Blaze

Workers pulled the body of a 16th victim from the charred rubble of a residential hotel Wednesday as city officials formed a task force to consider strengthening fire regulations.

“When you see a tragedy like this you have to start thinking that that’s the only way to really protect them fully,” Mayor Richard M. Daley said.

But homeless advocates, who two years ago fought more stringent fire regulations, said tough new fire codes could put the city’s few remaining single-room occupancy hotels out of business or make them too expensive for the poor.

“It does not make sense to suggest that sprinkler systems are the answer if it would force SROs to shut down,” said Eric Rubenstein, president of the city’s Single-Room Operators Assn. “The money simply is not there.”

The fire raced through the four-story Paxton Hotel early Tuesday, trapping many residents as they slept. Some residents clung to window sills until they were rescued by firefighters, while others jumped to the street below.

Sixteen people were known dead, and officials feared that the toll could grow. Fourteen of 130 people registered at the hotel were still unaccounted for, said Fire Department spokesman Mike Cosgrove.

Firefighters, assisted by a crane and two front-end loaders, carefully picked through charred timbers and belongings Wednesday, looking for bodies.

Eighteen people remained hospitalized, four in critical condition. Most suffered smoke inhalation, but five were being treated for broken bones suffered when they jumped from windows.

Dennis Guest, a police detective, said investigators believe that a space heater may have started the blaze, but fire officials said they had not ruled out arson.

“They’re going to continue to investigate that because the fire moved too rapidly up and down the hallways,” Daley said.