Portland officials say they plan to inspect at least four other properties that appear to be owned by the same person who owns the apartment building at 563 Cumberland Ave., where a man fell through a porch railing to his death last week.

Donald Stain, 53, died Wednesday afternoon after he fell about 20 feet from a porch onto a paved parking area when the railing gave way. A city inspection after the incident found the porches on each floor were unsafe, and the city sealed the doors leading out to them and ordered the owner to either repair them or tear them down.

The second-floor apartment porch at 563 Cumberland Ave. in Portland where Donald Stain fell. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer

The inspection resulted in a violation letter for the condition of the porches that listed several other items that need to be addressed. The letter also requires the owner to repair decayed or water-damaged portions of the rear interior stairwell, install window screens, clear common hallways of old appliances, replace or install four required carbon monoxide and smoke detectors, install a fire door for the basement mechanical room and install sprinklers over basement hot water heaters.

A representative for owner Harry Krigman of Cape Elizabeth told fire officials that he planned to tear down the porches.

Krigman is also listed as the owner of two other apartment buildings at 528 Deering Ave. and 218 Walton St. The city said it planned to inspect those buildings as well but had not been able to contact Krigman to schedule the inspections.

A limited liability company, Ellie LLC, is listed as owner of 9 Cedar St. and 289-291 Cumberland Ave., and it has the same address as Krigman’s home in Cape Elizabeth. City spokeswoman Jessica Grondin confirmed that those properties appear to be owned by Krigman and will be inspected as well.

Krigman could not be reached for comment Monday. The company where he works, Harborview Investments, said the properties are unrelated to his work there and refused to forward a message to him.

The porch Stain fell from was not connected by stairs to the lower levels or the ground, and so did not function as a secondary means of egress. Because of that feature, the porch was not scrutinized in earlier inspections of the property.

Portland police said they believe Stain went out on the porch to smoke a cigarette and fell when he leaned against the railing and it gave way. Stain’s brother, Bert Stain, said authorities told him his brother hit the ground headfirst and most likely died instantly.

Stain’s death has renewed calls for a more aggressive rental housing inspection and enforcement entity in the city.

The city budget proposed this month includes $600,000 to establish a housing safety office that would be funded by fees assessed on local landlords. The proposal to create a housing office, which would include fire safety inspectors, comes in response to a fire that killed six people on Noyes Street in November.

Related Stories