No Heat

CRASH ENDS TENANT'S PLEAS FOR HELP, HEAT
© 1998 The Arizona Republic
By Art Thomason, The Arizona Republic, May 5, 1998

The falling temperature neared its destination, a few notches above freezing, as Aimee Ellis left the Christmas party, climbed into her Jeep Cherokee and headed south.
It would be another cold evening in the desert and in Aimee's apartment that tragic night of Dec. 13. Too cold for Aimee to point her sport utility north toward Scottsdale and go home. Too cold for what probably would have been a safe trip.
"Aimee was getting cold at the party," recalled Cathy-Jo Vohnoutka, Aimee's co-worker and friend.
"Her boss loaned her a Harley-Davidson sweat shirt he had received as a gift. Before she left the party, she took it off, folded it and put it on his dryer."
Aimee must have thought about how cold her apartment would be. She had begun renting it two months earlier. Its gas furnace had been shut off for more than a year. The gas company had refused to turn it back on until it was repaired.
Aimee had discovered that three days earlier, on Dec. 10. She called her landlady, Ruth Spangler, of Dallas Real Estate, in Flagstaff.
   Spangler assured Aimee that she would take care of things and that she would get back with Aimee the next day. But Aimee never heard from Spangler, despite repeated calls, a message left on Spangler's answering machine at her home and a fax to her office.
   Exasperated, Aimee wrote a letter to Spangler on Dec. 12.
    "I am writing this letter to follow up on the conversation we had over the phone on Dec. 10th, 1997, regarding the furnace in my unit that was deemed inoperable by Southwest Gas Company due to hazardous conditions," Aimee wrote.
"When we spoke, I informed you that the furnace in my unit had a tag on it stating that the appliance had been shut off in 11 -96 due to hazardous conditions. I also informed you that I had called the gas company and the information that they had on record was that the venting system in the furnace was improperly installed. You stated that you were confused as to why there would be any problem but that you would make a call to the Gas Company and get back to me the next day (Thursday 12-11-97). You also asked if I was OK being without heat for that night. I told you I would be OK staying with a friend for that night and that I would be awaiting your call the next day.   I received no phone call from you that next day (Dec. II, 1997)."
   Aimee told Spangler in the letter that a Southwest Gas technician went to the apartment on Dec. I and confirmed that the furnace had not been repaired and couldn't be turned back on.
   "It is Friday, Dec. 12, 1997, and I am still without heat, and have not been able to stay in my place because of the cold," the letter continued. "I am still awaiting a phone call from you on correcting this matter. I have paged you 4 times today, leaving both voice messages and my work and home number."
   A copy of the letter, signed by Aimee, was found in the trash can of Micrographix West, the company at which she worked.
   I reached Spangler on Monday afternoon at her Flagstaff office. She said the furnace was repaired on Saturday, Dec. 14.
But that was too late.
Aimee, 20, was killed late Friday night, Dec. 13, after she left the party. She had accepted an invitation to stay with friends that night so she didn't have to sleep in her cold apartment. They would make plans to go four-wheeling the next day.
As Aimee waited for a red light at a Chandler intersection, her Jeep was rear-ended by a person suspected of drunken driving. Her vehicle burst into flames as it was thrown 180 feet.
"I felt really bad," Spangler said. "Her friends said she probably would have gone home had the heat been on."