Isleta Minutti, a wife and mother, was killed on August 18 when an explosion occurred in her Henness Flats apartment in Truckee. Her husband, Wuliber Martinez, was transported to the burn unit at UC Davis Medical Center where he remains in critical condition as of September 14. The couple’s newborn infant and two other children, ages 12 and 7, suffered minor injuries and are currently in the care of guardians.
Immediately after the incident, tenants residing in building six at Henness Flats were relocated to hotels, but all other residents were assured their buildings were safe. An investigation into the cause of the accident is ‘ongoing,’ according to Mike Lavallee, chief building official with the Town of Truckee. Lavallee couldn’t comment on any details of the inquiry, but Bob Bena, assistant Truckee Fire chief, offered this in a phone interview – ‘hopefully in the coming weeks we’ll have more on the investigation to release to the public. These things take time.’
Asked if the Town would review or revise their inspection and building code policies for modular units like those at Henness as a result of the tragedy, Mike Lavallee remarked, ‘Henness Flats units met code and currently meet code and the Town won’t change anything because of the accident.’
The Town of Truckee and Truckee Fire officials approved building six for re-occupancy on August 27 after completing structural reviews, flushing and purging sprinkler systems and testing gas piping. Cambridge Real Estate Services, the property management firm for Henness Flats, granted residents several more days to regroup, then stopped paying for hotel accommodations and urged tenants to move back into their apartments after their two-week long displacement.
In the days after the explosion in apartment 101, the area around building six at Henness Flats was teeming with public officials, inspectors, management executives, news reporters, camera crews and curious onlookers. The entire 12-unit building was completely cordoned off with yellow caution tape as an abundance of neon-vested security guards walked the perimeter of the property. It wasn’t clear if they were there to keep people away from the blast scene or keep people in their apartments. Their presence was ominous and intimidating, according to residents who tried to go about their daily business despite the unsettling atmosphere.
Almost a month has gone by since Isleta Minutti’s death, but Henness residents’ confusion and concern is not abating even though they have been told their individual units and buildings are safe. A number of tenants have left or are in the process of moving out. Many are looking for ways to leave, but are stuck with stringent lease terms and face the prospect of losing everything if they walk away. Many simply have no other place to go even if they could.
Adelia Teel, a two-year resident who has never experienced any other problems at Henness Flats, only wants some peace of mind. ‘We just want to know what happened, what the cause of the explosion was. We’re scared to turn on our stoves,’ Teel said.
Free counseling services promised by Cambridge after the accident proved to be non-existent or difficult to come by. Stepping in to fill a variety of needs for residents is the Family Resource Center of Truckee. FRC has a contract with the Town of Truckee and acts as a vital link for community members needing assistance with everything from legal issues, mental health services, bill assistance and more. Adela Gonzalez del Valle, FRC’s executive director, says the FRC has a great working relationship both with the Town of Truckee and Cambridge, is currently planning community meetings and classes for Henness Flats residents and is looking forward to building an even stronger role for the organization in the coming months. ‘Everyone is trying to make it happen, to take care of the people who need help,’ del Valle said. ‘FRC has been able to facilitate and we will continue to strengthen our connections however we can.’
On a different front, local attorney Mary Marsh Linde, who is advocating for several Henness Flats tenants, hasn’t made much legal headway so far. A recent motion to obtain monetary compensation from Cambridge for residents displaced by the blast was denied by Judge Anders Holmer in Nevada County Superior Court. Linde argued that, by law, the tenants were entitled to rent, utility assistance and money for other costs due to the fact that they were forced to leave their apartments after the blast. Holmer ruled that without an official ‘letter of evacuation’ from the Town of Truckee, Cambridge wasn’t required to pay. This denial and other aspects of how the situation is being handled has Linde outraged. ‘There is a gross miscarriage of justice and possible collusion among the officials involved to cover up this tragedy,’ Linde said in a recent phone interview.
Meanwhile, security guards are still patrolling the complex, but for a different reason. All of the building’s fire sprinkler systems are now being flushed and purged and the contents and expansion tanks are being loaded into blue plastic barrels.
While this is occurring, the guards are officially on ‘fire watch’ since the sprinkler systems are disabled, just in case a fire breaks out. Some believe antifreeze in the sprinkler systems was the cause of the blast, after a grease fire in Minutti’s apartment was doused with water. As with almost everything surrounding the incident, a cloud of mystery remains.
A source with knowledge about the accident investigation speaking on condition of anonymity said, ‘The owner (Pacific West) is spending a bunch of money to cover all his bases. It will be interesting when everything is said and done.’
There are many ways for community members to help the impacted families. Monetary and food donations can be dropped off at the management office at Henness Flats and the ‘Isela Minutti Memorial Fund’ has been established at the Truckee branch of Wells Fargo Bank. Donations to the nonprofit Family Resource Center help them in their ongoing efforts to assist not only those affected by this tragedy, but many individuals and families in need in Truckee.
Calls made to both the Henness Flats management office in Truckee and Cambridge President Jeff Passadore in Oregon were not returned in time for their comments to be included in this story.
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