Some townhouse units where fire occurred had no working alarms

BURLINGTON — Residents of a southeastend apartment complex where a fire occurred on the weekend need to bring their units into compliance after it was discovered some of them didn’t have working smoke and/or carbon monoxide detectors.

Burlington firefighters, along with Halton police and paramedics, were called to a two-storey, multi-unit rental complex on Lakeshore Road just after 11 a.m. on Sunday.

Firefighters encountered smoke in the hallway of the complex as well as one of the townhouse units. There were no obvious signs of fire. Fire officials believe an electrical failure was the cause of the smoke, which originated in the living room of one of the units.

All residents and pets of the 18-unit complex were removed, temporarily seeking shelter in an adjacent complex until Burlington Transit arrived with a bus to shelter them. There were no reported injuries. Fire officials estimate damage at $100,000. The Burlington Fire Department said that a subsequent investigation determined that the unit where the smoke occurred and several other units were not in compliance with provincial law.

The Ontario Fire Code mandates that working smoke alarms be installed on every level of a home and carbon monoxide (CO) detectors outside every sleeping area.

Burlington Fire Platoon Chief Charlie Birch told the Post the department has the authority to fine homeowners or the landlord/ owner of rental units who don’t comply with the law.

“We don’t usually fine; it’s very rare,” said Birch. “We try to make it educational. The ultimate goal is compliance.”