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The November fire that burned apartments near South Fifth Street East and Arthur Avenue has tenants elsewhere asking worried questions. It also has the ASUM Off-Campus Renter Center offering up some answers.

“The only way to know whether a house is safe is to have it inspected and be proactive,” said Denver Henderson, director of the Renter Center.

Since the fire, Henderson said University of Montana students have been asking him if their own units are safe. To help answer their questions and also plug a building inspection program of the city of Missoula, the Renter Center will host a free forum Thursday. It will also offer some free inspections.

Henderson, city building superintendent Don Verrue, Grizzly Property Management representatives and Tom Trigg with ASUM Legal Services will be on hand on the third floor of the University Center in the UC Theatre to answer renter questions. They’ll be available from 4 to 5 p.m. Thursday.

Verrue said the cause of the recent blaze appears to be electrical, although it isn’t clear if an extension cord or a wall fire caused the burn. The fire didn’t injure people in the house, divided into apartment units, but it killed two dogs and one cat.

“If it had happened at night ... it could have been more disastrous,” Verrue said.

Had inspectors checked the place for safety, he said they would have pointed out a couple of trouble spots. Mainly, a fire that started in the basement quickly damaged the second floor because the apartments shared a furnace.

In July, the city of Missoula started a voluntary residential inspection program. For $15, a homeowner, tenant, property manager or landlord can have a building inspector check a home for safety. The inspector looks for things like visible water damage, electrical hazards, smoke detectors and window wells and egress windows, among other signs of safe and unsafe living spaces.

The program came about because too many people in Missoula have lived in dangerous homes, mostly rental units. Henderson estimated some 10,000 to 10,500 UM students rent. So far, though, just 23 people have called for inspections, Verrue said. A couple were homeowners and most were tenants.

At Thursday's panel, the Renter Center will offer 20 free inspections, generally on a first-come, first-served basis.

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