In May of 2002, a 3-year-old boy died in a fire near Halls Ferry and Lucas and Hunt. Investigators later said the fire started in a couch and that a lighter may have been involved.
This week, a jury ruled that the landlords did not provide adequate smoke detectors, and awarded the family of the boy who died $1.5 million.
The lawsuit was filed against Carmel Group and Wood Knoll General Partnership, the operators of the Wood Knoll apartment complex in St. Louis County.
When firefighters arrived, smoke was pouring out of the second floor. A firefighter found the 3-year-old boy, Nathan Irvin, in an upstairs bedroom in the apartment. He was alive, but the smoke inhalation was too much, and he died a short time later. His three siblings and his mother were able to escape the blaze.