Landlords fined, 1 jailed, for 2024 fire in Guelph that killed 2 women | CBC News
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Two landlords in Guelph, Ont., face steep fines, and one will go to jail, for a 2024 fire that killed two women.
It was determined the rental home in the area of Edinburgh Road South and Wilsonview Avenue did not have any working smoke alarms when the fire broke out just after 12:30 a.m. on March 11.
Two women died after they were injured in the fire.
Two other people in the home were able to get out of the house, and were treated in hospital for minor injuries and smoke inhalation.
The City of Guelph issued statement on Thursday saying the two landlords have been prosecuted and face severe penalties:
- Fines totalling $37,500.
- Two-year probation for both homeowners.
- Fifty days of consecutive incarceration for one of the homeowners.
Jennifer Charles is the city’s general manager of legal and court services and the city solicitor’s office.
“Incarceration for fire safety offences is not common,” Charles said in the release.
“This result demonstrates dedication to public safety and is an example of fair justice application of sentencing principles. We hope the decision will serve as public education, showing other property owners the importance of fire prevention and life safety measures, and the seriousness of their legal obligations under the fire code.”
During the investigation, the Guelph Fire Department inspected all the townhouses in the complex and found seven units didn’t have working smoke alarms or the alarms had been removed.
John McBeth, Ontario’s acting fire marshal, said the ruling “sends a clear message to every landlord and property owner in Ontario: you are legally responsible for ensuring that there are working smoke alarms on every storey of your properties, and outside all sleeping areas.”
Guelph Fire Department Chief Steven Goode said the “unprecedented sentence” should be a warning to other landlords.
“Ensuring tenant safety is both an ethical obligation and a legal requirement for landlords,” Goode said.
Smoke detectors are required on every level of a home including the basement and outside all bedrooms or sleeping areas.
As of Jan. 1, carbon monoxide detectors must be installed near all bedrooms and on every storey of homes where there is a fuel-burning appliance (furnace, water heater or stove that uses natural gas, propane, oil or wood), a fireplace, an attached garage or air for heating that comes from a fuel-burning appliance not contained within the home, such as an appliance in a utility shed.
Carbon monoxide detectors are now required on every floor of a home in Ontario. How do you decide which one to buy? CBC K-W’s Joe Pavia went shopping at a Home Hardware store in Kitchener with Franz Tschoegl, public information officer with the Kitchener Fire Department. Tschoegl said consumers need to make sure the product has the proper certification standards.