Local building owner fined $140K for fire code offences

The owner of a Sault Ste. Marie multi-unit residential building has been fined $140,000, plus victim surcharges, for multiple offences of the Ontario Fire Code.

The news release issued this morning by Sault Ste. Marie Fire Services does not disclose the address of the building in question, nor the building's owner.

The fines were related to:

    •    Failing to maintain smoke alarms in operating condition
    •    Failing to maintain carbon monoxide alarms in operating condition
    •    Failing to maintain closures in a fire separation
    •    Failing to provide documentation of annual smoke and carbon monoxide alarm tests

“House fires and carbon monoxide issues often occur at night, and the consequences can turn deadly when there are no working alarms to alert of a problem and provide the much needed time to escape,” says Deputy Chief Naomi Thibault in the release. “Such penalties send a clear message that we will not tolerate negligence when it comes to complying with the Ontario Fire Code.”

Fire Services reminds residents that annual testing of smoke and carbon monoxide alarms is the responsibility of the building owner. Failing to do so can result in substantial fines.