VAIL, CO According to The Denver Post, managers at the Vail Marriott hotel were warned four years ago that the hotel s fireplaces were not up to code and there was a “risk of fire” such as the one earlier this month that caused as much as $20 million in damages. A chimney sweep pointed out that the fireplaces and the chimney were mismatched in a second inspection in 1997, but management at the Vail Marriott Mountain Resort never addressed the problem before the November 18, 2000 blaze. Investigators say the fifth-floor inferno started because the mismatched chimney pipe slipped out of place, exposing the insulation to creosote, which eventually caught fire. Authorities have not determined which contractor installed the fireplace, and Marriott officials have since forbidden the use of all fireplaces in the remainder of the hotel pending thorough inspections. (11/30/00) SOURCE: The Denver Post