HOOVER, Ala. — A motel in Hoover where four young women died in January has received permission to reopen about 30 rooms.
The fire in January at the Days Inn South killed Mississippi University for Women freshmen, Jaslynn McGee, Jamelia Brown, Catherine Ann Muse and Alondan Turner, who were in Hoover to shop. Fire officials say they were trapped by a wall of fire in their second-floor room and died of smoke inhalation.
Authorities say the motel has made upgrades to meet city codes and received approval to reopen part of its lower portion. The wood-frame motel was originally built in 1964 before Hoover became a city and before building codes began mandating sprinklers in hotels and motels.
The state of Alabama requires working smoke detectors in all motel and hotel rooms. Codes governing fire sprinklers vary by municipality.
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