ORLEANS, Mass. — A Cape Cod family is pushing for mandatory inspections of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors after a devastating tragedy at an Airbnb in New York.
35-year-old Shannon Hubbard and her 1-year-old daughter, Maggie Hubbard, were killed in a fire at that rental in Clinton, NY, last October.
The homeowners, Dennis and Meredith Darcy, have been charged with second-degree manslaughter for allegedly lying about the presence of smoke detectors in the Airbnb listing.
Tim Waldron, of Orleans, told Boston 25 News the deaths of his daughter and granddaughter have prompted him to advocate for the safety of other families.
Waldron recently testified about his heartbreak and urgent concern for others at a State House hearing for the Maggie Hubbard Safety Act.
It would require that all short-term rentals in Massachusetts are inspected for compliance with approved smoke and carbon monoxide detectors within one year before renting.
“I realized every single one of the towns had different laws, so it was very much patchwork regulations,” said Waldron.
Waldron sat down with Boston 25 News on what would’ve been his daughter’s 36th birthday.
The Chatham Elementary teacher and her infant daughter died after what had been a beautiful family weekend in the short-term rental.
It took a heartbreaking turn after Waldron left on Sunday afternoon.
That night, Waldron’s son-in-law, a Dennis Police officer, put a log in the wood stove and then went out into the hot tub with Shannon.
“They were out there for about 20, 30 minutes, just really enjoying the night while the kids were in. After about 20 or 30 minutes, they smelled smoke,” said Waldron.
Shannon rushed into the room where their infant daughter was sleeping and got trapped inside.
Her husband and their three-year-old son escaped, but firefighters were not able to save Shannon and Maggie in time.
Fire investigators later determined that the home had no working fire alarms, contrary to what the Airbnb listing stated.
“If smoke detectors had gone off that evening, they would have heard them 20 or 30 minutes before they smell the smoke, and it would been no issue,” he said.
Waldron is now determined to expose what he calls an unregulated self-reporting system of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in short-term rentals.
He believes travelers can’t trust what the Airbnb and VRBO listing says because there aren’t inspections to prove it.
“We’re talking about something that could prevent a death,” explained Waldron. “You should have to have some level of an inspection done by a fire safety individual.”
Orleans State Representative Hadley Luddy filed the Maggie Hubbard Rental Safety Act in the House of Representatives, and Cape Senator Julian Cyr filed it in the Senate.
“The safety measures just really are not monitored at a level that’s actually ensuring that we can go into buildings or rental situations and know that we’re safe,” said Rep. Luddy with the 4th Barnstable district.
Rep. Luddy’s district stretches from Harwich to Provincetown, where the number of short-term rentals has increased by thousands in recent years.
She said a large percentage of them aren’t registered with towns.
“We don’t want to see any more unnecessary deaths like the two lives lost here,” said the first-time legislator. “If I could be a part of knowing that there would be more preventable situations like this in the future, it would mean a lot to me personally.”
Rep. Luddy is working with fire departments and town managers on the Cape to determine who would do these inspections.
She told Boston 25 News that it may vary in each community and would likely involve a fee for those listing short-term rentals.
The State Fire Marshal’s Office issued the following statement to Boston 25 News in support of the legislation:
“Working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms have prevented countless tragedies in Massachusetts and around the world. They are vital life safety tools and should be installed on every level of every living space, whether it’s short-term, long-term, or permanent.”
“It reminds them that there are steps you need to take, that you need dot your I’s and cross your T’s to make sure the home you’re renting to people is as safe as it could possibly be,” said Waldron.
Waldron said this law would also mean that his daughter’s legacy and granddaughter’s name live on eternally by protecting others.
“My granddaughter was perfect, right? She had the beautiful smile. She had the best giggle. If you saw or heard either one of them, you’d never forget it,” he added. “It’s a loss that I’ll carry with me every day.”
Boston 25 News reached out to Airbnb and VRBO for comment and have not heard back.
The owners of the New York Airbnb rental have pleaded not guilty to second-degree manslaughter.
***In an earlier version of this story, we inadvertently showed a property not related to the story. We regret the error.
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