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Landlord charged after fire deaths – Metro US

Landlord charged after fire deaths

The landlord of a home where a fire killed three people in northwest Calgary late last month faces several charges relating to alleged breaches of safety conditions within the home.

Tiffany Cox, 19, Jonathan St. Pierre, 19, and Colleen Mantei, 23, died as a result of injuries sustained in the fire at 515 — 33 St. SW. The lack of an operating smoke detector and the installation of safety bars have been fingered as possible culprits leading to the deaths.

Alberta Health Services filed seven charges, including failure to ensure required smoke alarms were operational and in good repair at all times, and failure to ensure that security provided on bedroom windows could be opened from the inside without the use of tools or special knowledge.

Chad Beegan, with AHS Calgary, said there had been two previous complaints filed against the landlord: one in 1998, where no violations were found, and one in 2000, which the landlord remedied.

“You can only hope that some good comes from a tragedy like this,” Beegan said, suggesting other landlords should take note of necessary safety measures.