The April 11 hearth killed Mary Ann Garlow, 63, and Dennis Guay, 53
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A Vancouver hearth captain says he left with “a foul feeling” after responding to a small hearth at a downtown rooming resort simply three days earlier than a catastrophic blaze killed two individuals and burned the constructing all the way down to its brick exterior virtually two years in the past.
The sprinkler system was working, however Capt. Kris Zoppa mentioned he was bothered by the very fact he didn’t hear the fireplace alarm when he arrived on the Winters Lodge for the primary hearth on April 8, 2022.
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The second hearth on April 11 killed Mary Ann Garlow, 63, and Dennis Guay, 53.
Garlow and Guay’s stays had been discovered within the rubble of the constructing throughout demolition work greater than every week after the deadly blaze.
Zoppa informed a B.C. coroner’s inquest into their deaths that activation of the sprinkler system for the sooner hearth ought to have triggered the fireplace alarm, however he agreed with a lawyer for the inquest that it’s “seemingly” it didn’t go off in any respect.
He testified that he gave the constructing supervisor from Atira Property Administration a violation discover with directions to make sure each programs can be shortly restored.
The discover additionally included a route to start out a “hearth watch” till these programs had been up and working, in addition to a cellphone quantity to name for a re-inspection, he mentioned.
Nonetheless, Zoppa acknowledged the doc didn’t present extra particulars on what precisely the fireplace watch ought to entail, and informed the inquest he couldn’t recall the specifics of his dialog with the supervisor, Gina Vanemberg.
“I had a foul feeling about that constructing,” he mentioned of leaving the Winters Lodge on April 8, which marked his final shift for the subsequent 4 days.
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It’s typical for every shift of firefighters to deal with their very own followup on any violation notices except a constructing operator calls in to request a re-inspection, he mentioned.
The April 8 hearth had began in a unit that was filled with “hoarding supplies,” he mentioned, including the smoke alarm had been faraway from the room.
Zoppa testified that the sprinkler system would have been turned off after that smaller hearth as a result of leaving it working may have resulted in flooding.
A former resident of the resort, Franco Maselli, testified later Tuesday that he seen flooding within the hallways when he returned dwelling after the April 8 hearth.
Maselli informed the inquest that he moved into the Winters Lodge in 2018. Atira workers didn’t present any info relating to hearth security when he arrived and he by no means participated in any hearth drills throughout his time residing within the constructing, he mentioned.
Maselli mentioned he was by no means knowledgeable that the constructing was beneath “hearth watch” or that the sprinkler system had been turned off after the smaller hearth.
The resort with greater than 70 residents was riddled with mice and cockroaches, and particles crammed the hallways, typically blocking doorways, he mentioned.
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“There was no single day that I didn’t see any blockage,” he mentioned of the hallways.
Maselli mentioned the constructing supervisor — the identical particular person Zoppa mentioned he spoke with — threatened him with eviction after he informed her he had complained to the Metropolis of Vancouver about how Atira workers had been dealing with residents’ considerations.
Almost 30 witnesses are scheduled to testify on the inquest, which isn’t meant to search out fault however can result in suggestions to stop comparable deaths sooner or later.
The constructing supervisor, Vanemberg, is about to testify on Thursday.
The fireplace division has mentioned the deadly hearth was sparked inadvertently by unattended candles.
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