Westport Landlords Dennis and Donna Silvia in Hot Water…

Missing and defective smoke alarms were found in homes owned by Donna and Dennis Silvia, who are the owners of the Westport house that caught fire and resulted in the death of 4-year-old Caleb Nardolillo.

Melody and Bella, Caleb's mother and sister, were able to escape the fire on December 19, 2015 and were taken to Rhode Island Hospital for injuries resulting from burns and smoke inhalation. However, there are now reports that an anonymous letter was sent to Fall River officials and signed "from a concerned tenant", which has prompted additional inspections to other properties owned by Donna and Dennis Silvia.

Three of four properties on Mott St. and Plymouth and Highland Ave. in Fall River were inspected. Officials found several violations which included defective and missing smoke detectors in the building's stairwells.

Officials say that Silvia was staying in the Mott Street home where she was ordered to fix the detectors or the buildings would be forced to close and the tenants would have to vacate.

While city inspectors are holding Donna Silvia responsible to correct the problems in the four properties, the Bristol County Registry of Deeds indicate foreclosure proceedings have begun on 2112 Highland Ave. and 954 Plymouth Ave.

Prior to the deadly Westport fire on December 19, 2015, inspectors from the town’s Building Department found at least a dozen code violations at the Westport property.