Cornwall Fire Services has laid 12 charges against landlords of a multi-unit residence in the city where there were deficient smoke and carbon monoxide alarms during a fire on July 27.
Firefighters responded to a structure fire in the area of Cumberland and Twelfth streets early that morning, where they extinguished the fire, limiting the damage and preventing any damage to neighbouring units. There was no loss of life.
Fire investigators later determined the cause of the fire was electrical, and not suspicious. During that investigation, the fire services confirmed several rental units’ smoke and carbon monoxide alarms were deficient, noting how residents were alerted to the fire itself by the firefighters arriving on scene, or by other means.
Under the Ontario Fire Code, it is a landlord’s responsibility to have working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in all rental units. Tenants are responsible for ensuring they tell their landlord if a smoke or carbon monoxide alarm no longer works and if the landlord fails to replace or repair the units, tenants can contact the fire service.