Owner of building where 2 firefighters died jailed

The owner of a vacant building where a collapsed roof crushed and killed two Chicago firefighters in 2010 was jailed Thursday after failing to pay bond on contempt charges.

A Cook County judge ordered Chuck Dai, 62, of South Holland jailed after Dai couldn't pay the $50,000 bond. Prosecutors allege Dai failed to comply with a court order requiring him to secure and repair the South Side property.

Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez announced the charge last month.

A roof collapse killed Edward Stringer, 47, and Corey Ankum, 34, and injured more than a dozen other firefighters called to battle a blaze on Dec. 22, 2010, at the vacant laundry facility.

The now-demolished building had been cited for sagging ceiling tiles, rotted roof trusses and other safety violations. Documents show it had 14 code violations in 2007.

In the years before the fire, Dai failed to appear at numerous court dates. He was eventually fined more than $14,000 for failing to address the violations. In October of 2009, Dai agreed to make all of the required repairs and secure the building from trespassers. But he still hadn't made the repairs when the fire started more than two years later.

Attorney Gene Murphy, who represents Dai, said prosecutors can't prove their case.