In the wake of a scathing report by the Better Government Association and Chicago Tribune based on exhaustive public records investigation and review, "[t]enant advocates and public officials are calling on Mayor Lori Lightfoot to hold landlords more accountable and establish clear rules on how the city handles housing safety complaints. That investigation revealed that 'known hazards were allowed to go unfixed, sometimes for years, before fatal fires.'"

Sixty-one people died in 42 fires; most were Latino or Black

"'The Failures Before the Fires' series examined every fatal residential blaze in Chicago over six years and found city officials previously knew of fire safety problems in about a third of the blazes. The hazards included poor electrical wiring, a lack of heat, inadequate exits and other code violations that could hinder people's chances of survival.

"'The city seems very happy to let tenants bear the brunt for poor maintenance,' said Jake Marshall, an organizer with the Chicago Tenants Movement.

"The series also detailed a reactive and inconsistent approach to enforcing building safety codes in which officials rely on tenant complaints to identify problems but often close cases without fully investigating the problems or ensuring they are fixed. City officials also have acknowledged they are often reluctant to fine landlords over violations, viewing it as a financial burden."