The parents of a Penn State student who died in a house fire last spring are suing the property's landlords and real estate management corporation for the wrongful death of their son, Christopher Raspanti.

William Raspanti, of Fairless Hills, filed a civil suit against Rodney Hendricks, Charles Tabolsky, Hendricks
/Tabolsky Investments and Continental Real Estate Management Inc., 333 S. Allen St.

Christopher Raspanti, 21, died April 24 in a fire that was most likely caused by faulty electrical wiring on the third floor of his house at 500 E. Beaver Ave., according to a Pennsylvania State Police report.

According to documents filed Friday by attorney Cliff Bidlingmaier, Hendricks and Tabolsky knew or should have known their property was not equipped with adequate safety features or escape routes in the event of a fire.

The civil suit alleges that at the time of the fire, Hendricks and Tabolsky failed to install, inspect and maintain fire and smoke detection systems, provide a safe escape from the house's third floor and properly maintain electrical boxes, circuitry and wiring.

The suit also accuses Hendricks and Tabolsky of failing to limit the number of tenants and their occupancy on the third floor.

According to court documents, Hendricks, Tabolsky and Continental Real Estate Management knew the property violated Centre County codes, Pennsylvania labor and industry regulations and other state laws, and failed to notify tenants.

The Raspantis want to hold the defendants liable for their son's pain and suffering, his total future earnings, expenses incurred by his funeral and injuries, and his family's loss of support, comfort and services.

Bidlingmaier said the Raspantis are pursuing the lawsuit because other students may be living in unsafe housing and not realize it.

"Unsafe off-campus housing is common due to landlords who are more interested in making money and not in the safety of college students," he said.

Calls to Hendricks' lawyer, William Krekstein, were not returned by press time yesterday.

Attorneys representing Tabolsky and Continental Real Estate Management could not be reached for comment last night.

In 2001, the house had functioning smoke detectors on each floor, Centre Region Senior Fire and Housing Inspector Tim Knisely said.

Police said an investigation after the fire revealed the 80-year-old house's four smoke detectors were disabled or not functioning. It was not determined who had tampered with the smoke detectors, according to the police report.

The deadly fire has already forced the State College Borough Council and the Centre Region Code Administration to amend the International Fire Safety Code.

In October, the borough voted that all rental units must have permanent, hard-wired or wireless smoke detectors with a battery backup and, in two years' time, all detectors must be interconnected. All rental properties must be inspected every three years, and if a property does not pass the inspection, it will be subject to annual checks until it is deemed up to code. Tenants and property owners who tamper with safety devices will face harsher penalties. The final amendment required that all rental properties that have an occupied third floor have a second exit by August 2007.

Knisely said April's fire helped raise fire safety awareness for tenants and property owners.

"The house where Raspanti died was under the same code as everywhere else," he said. "It depends on the landlords and the tenants."