The two people killed in a hotel fire Sunday died after inhaling smoke and gases resulting from the blaze, according to an autopsy performed by the state medical examiner.

Officials said Tuesday that John M. Mello, 36, and Sharon Neal, 32, who recently moved to Bend from Kingman, Ariz., were identified as the individuals who died in a single-room fire at the Chalet Hotel, located at 510 SE Third St.

The couple had been staying in a room that authorities say was not equipped with a working smoke detector, as required by state law.

Authorities said Monday that the fire was most likely caused by candles that melted and ignited nearby ”combustibles.”

The two deaths bring the total number of fire fatalities in the state this year to 14, said Randy Simpson, chief deputy at the Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal.

The Bend Fire Department inspected the hotel for the first time Monday, according to department records dating back to 2000. They found six other rooms in the 23-unit complex that did not have working smoke alarms.

A fire inspector returned Tuesday and reported working smoke detectors were present in every room.

Deputy Fire Chief Gary Marshall said his fire prevention division, comprising seven people, set a goal at the beginning of this year to inspect every hotel and motel in the city.

Oregon law does not require his department to inspect any commercial building, Marshall said, including new construction.

”Fire departments aren’t even required to have a fire protection division,” Marshall said.

Yet his department has doubled the number of inspectors on staff – from two to four – this year.

”I feel we have a duty to inspect all important buildings, and a hotel is certainly an important building,” Marshall said.

”If a firefighter or fire inspector has been out and seen a problem, we can go out, write them up and tell them to be in compliance,” he continued. ”We then go out and make sure they are in compliance before they rent again.”

On Tuesday, his department compiled a list of the 57 hotels in Bend, 48 of which have been inspected since 2000.

But most businesses don’t need a license from the city or state, so no database exists to create an inspection list, Marshall said.

”So we are basically resorting to walking up and down the street looking for businesses if we want to cover everyone,” he said.

Even if inspectors were able to get to every one, Simpson said, they can’t ensure compliance once they leave. A smoke detector that works one day may be disabled or simply not work the next.

”State law requires that rentals and hotels have working smoke detectors, so the owner is ultimately responsible,” Simpson said. ”If they are going to rent a room, it is their responsibility to make sure there is a working smoke detector.”

Neither the owner nor the manager of the Chalet Hotel could be reached for comment Tuesday evening.

Authorities agree that installing sprinkler systems as an added precaution saves buildings and lives, and a state fire code implemented in January requires them in all newly constructed hotels and motels.

Older businesses, however, need not comply.

”Sprinkler systems are a wonderful thing, but they aren’t required to retrofit an existing hotel,” Simpson said. ”The way the codes are written, they don’t have to retrofit unless they do a major remodel, and then the new code requirements kick in.”

He said no legislation mandating retrofitting older buildings has ever passed.

In 1999, the Bend Fire Department implemented a ”self-inspection” program to increase businesses’ compliance with fire safety laws, according to Marshall.

He said the department created a list of all the local businesses they could find and, based upon the type of enterprise, categorized them into ”high-” and ”low-hazard.”

Inspection cards were sent to every low-hazard business, providing a list of critical items to check.

Owners who returned the cards did not face inspection. Officials assumed those who did not return the cards wanted an inspector’s visit.

Marshall said the lack of a reliable list of local businesses has caused problems with the self-inspection program as well.

Since the program was implemented, Marshall said they have sent out a minimum of 1,500 cards annually and more than half have come back as undeliverable.

He said his inspectors have a goal to get all commercial buildings up to code this year and, thanks to added staff, they can now return to locations that may have had problems in the past.

”If a firefighter or fire inspector has been out there and seen a problem, we can send someone out to write them up and tell them how to get into compliance,” Marshall said.