City declares nuisance for property that caught fire twice within a year, with multiple code violations
City Commissioners declared the property at 321 1st Ave. S.W. a nuisance during their July 1 meeting.
The house was the scene of two fires, almost a year to the date apart, where city staff have been working for nearly a decade to address code violations.
It’s also a property that highlighted a problem for which Great Falls Fire Rescue have proposed a code change.
From October 2016 to April 2025, city staff received multiple complaints about the property owned by Ralph and/or Cecelia Laverdure, or their heirs/family.
Complaints have included property maintenance violations, dilapidated conditions, lack of utilities, recreational vehicles and vehicles all over the property as well as living conditions of the structure.
Many complaints were also made to law enforcement over those years, according to city staff.
The city sent multiple letters to the property owners in hopes of compliance that never occured.
The property continued to deteriorate and a fire occured at the property in April 2024 and again on April 14, 2025.
Shortly after the most recent fire, the city building official went to the property to assess the damage and deemed it a complete loss, notifying one of the occupants, Crystal Laverdure, that was no longer habitable and could be razed for safety.
“The dilapidated and unsafe structure due to deferred maintenance and the fire makes it unfit for human occupancy. Based on the observations from the public right of way and onsite visit, violations were shown to exist consistent with the history of complaints as well as the severe fire damage and deferred maintenance of the residential structure deeming it uninhabitable,” according to city staff.
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Code violations still present in April 2025 included, according to city staff:
- residential structure is severely dilapidated and in unsafe condition due to the recent fire and deferred maintenance
- exterior storage/salvage materials between the residence and fence, front/side yards, alley including but not limited to mattresses, bags, trash, auto parts, shopping cart, appliance(s), furniture, wood, dilapidated fencing on the sides/rear of the property, etc.
- dilapidated white/silver camper with no visible license plate, was illegally occupied and illegally parked on the property
Following the second fire, the city sent a letter to the property owners and posted it on the property detailing the code violations that needed to be corrected within 30 days.
The owners did not respond, nor were the issues abated, according to the city.
City staff recommended approval of the resolution declaring the property a nuisance, otherwise it won’t be abated for the foreseeable future.
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Since commissioners declared the property a nuisance, the city is able to remove noncompliant vehicles, rubbish/exterior storage and raze the existing residential structure and foundation.
The cost of abatement is unknown at this time, but the city will use its hazard removal fund for the work if necessary.
“The continued presence of these conditions propagates blight and slum, thereby decreasing surrounding property values,” according to the city.
Lonnie Hill, deputy city planning director, said that there had been “years of staff outreach” and formal letters attempting to bring the property into compliance.
Hill said the property is now condemned and he believed it was currently vacant.
Under the resolution, the property owner has 10 days to begin abatement themselves and 30 days to complete it, otherwise, the city will complete the abatement and place a lien on the property to recoup the costs.
Commissioner Joe McKenney said “what a sad thing.”
He said there were structures like this in many neighborhoods throughout the community, “it’s surprising. Even in neighborhoods that would surprise you.”
McKenney said that he thinks about that and wonders about mental health issues that cause that to happen and people not taking care of places they live in.
He said that it was an example of private property rights being respected, but maybe for too much time.
There was no further commission discussion and commissioners voted unanimously.
Great Falls Fire Rescue responded at 1:46 a.m. on April 14 to a fire at the property after receiving a call of a generator on fire outside of the house.
The first engine was en route at 1:48 a.m. and arrived on scene at 1:51 a.m. to find all occupants and their pets outside of the house, according to GFFR.
The fire on the exterior of the house extended into the first and second floors of the house.
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A second alarm was struck, meaning off duty firefighters are called back to duty, and Malmstrom Air Force Base and Montana Air National Guard firefighters backfilled the city until the called back city firefighters arrived.
GFFR firefighters made entry into the house, finding that the fire had spread to the wall and attic spaces.
It was labor intensive for GFFR crews to get the fire under control since the house was made of lath and plaster, according to GFFR.
Two of the five occupants of the house were transported to the hospital for medical evaluation and their condition was unknown as of Monday afternoon, according to GFFR.
GFFR Fire Marshal Mike McIntosh determined the fire was caused by the generator next to the house.
The previous April, a fire had occurred at the property, destroying the back apartment.
The 2024 fire was caused by improperly installed electrical work sending electricity to the back apartment.
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The portion of the house that caught fire in April 2025 hadn’t had utility services for several years, according to city staff.
The second fire at the same address highlighted a portion of city code that GFFR is proposing to update.
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GFFR is proposing an addition to city code addressing the abatement of fire hazard nuisances caused by structures and states: “any and all buildings, ruins, chimneys, flues, boilers, walls, remains of burned buildings or other constructions within the city limits which, by reason of their construction or condition, are in danger of being set on fire shall be found to be in violation of Title 16 of the City of Great Falls. The owner or owners of properties that are found to be in violation of Title 16 shall be notified to abate such violations forthwith.”
“In case of a fire resulting directly or indirectly from failure promptly to comply with an order issued under this section, the person so failing to comply with such order shall pay to the city, for the service of GFFR, the actual costs for the time GFFR is engaged in fighting such fire. Such money shall be paid in the general fund of the city.”
McIntosh presented that proposed provision, as well as other proposed changes to the city’s fire code during the commission’s April 15 work session.
Staff is continuing to work on that package of code updates and hopes to bring them before the commission soon for consideration.
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