But the landlord told the Sun-Times he is being falsely accused. Carlson claimed a witness saw the brewery burning before the fire spread to all four floors of his apartment building.

“It’s all about a landlord being guilty until they prove themselves innocent, right?” Carlson said. “As a landlord in the city of Chicago, guilty until you prove yourself innocent instead of the opposite way around. Thou shalt not bear false witness against your neighbor.”

Carlson said he got a message from the daughter of a tenant saying “she saw the Hippo, Hippo whatever it is, burning. And then the fire spread to my building, not the other way around. That’s it.”

He added that the brewery “had the highly flammable materials in there. I don’t blame anybody. But why are they blaming me?”

  • Deadend [he/him]
    hexagon
    ·
    3 years ago

    I mean, the brewery has beer, and alcohol, in theory it has flammable items.

    He was cited for an electrical issue in his building last month and maybe didn't repair it.

        • Deadend [he/him]
          hexagon
          ·
          3 years ago

          Nah, all his property was dirt cheap and he was king of Section 8 and subsidized housing from the government, with a real knack for not spending any money but able to qualify for vouchers.

      • Deadend [he/him]
        hexagon
        ·
        3 years ago

        It's possible.

        The Slumlord - Gary Carlson is apparently hated by EVERYONE for being such a scumbag slumlord.

        Cops hate him, the fire department hates him, everyone hates him.

        He even makes himself impossible to reach to report issues in his buildings.

    • LezGirl [she/her]
      ·
      3 years ago

      Beer doesn't have anywhere close to high enough of an alcohol content to ignite.