‘No smoke alarms’ — fire investigator in tears
Oshawa house fire that claimed four lives was ‘preventable . . . it shouldn’t have happened’
With tears in his eyes, an Ontario fire investigator stood outside the charred remains of a deadly Oshawa house fire on Wednesday, and revealed his findings: there were no working fire alarms inside the house.
Wires and brackets jutted out where smoke detectors should have been.
The fire on Monday claimed the lives of Steven Macdonald – the father of a pregnant daughter, who died trying to save other residents – single mother Lindsey Bonchek, Bonchek’s nine-year-old daughter Madeline, and her four-yearold son Jackson.
Fire Marshal investigator Richard Derstroff and the two city councillors who attended the scene appeared overcome with emotion as they spoke to media.
“There were no working smoke alarms within the structure which is very disappointing because that would have provided the occupants with early detection of the fire and given them opportunity to escape . . . this is a preventable tragedy and it shouldn’t have happened,” said Derstroff.
“When the fire is already raging, it’s too late. The smoke can get you, the fire can get you, the heat can get you,” Derstroff said. “It makes it even worse when you have small children involved.
“There’s going to be an empty desk at school.”
Oshawa councillor Amy McQuaid-England’s frustration was palpable as she spoke to reporters, noting that the house was in a “high priority needs neighbourhood” and calling on the city to take action.
“We need to be responsible for the residents of our city,” she said. “We need to be protective.”
McQuaid-England said she’s been fighting for increased fire safety for eight years, predating her time as a councillor. “We’ve been fighting really hard to get protections but we’re hitting a wall,” she said.
“It’s preventable.”
She added that she’s been lobbying for a stricter practice to be put in place, allowing for regular fire inspection in rental homes. A third of the city was made up of renters, she told media outside the burnt remains of the home.
On Wednesday night, stuffed animals and bouquets of flowers lay in front of the burned-out house on Centre St. in Oshawa. Green ribbon hung across the chest of a large brown bear with red hearts on his paws and written in gold letters a message for those lost: “In loving memory of Lindsey Maddy and Jax. Gone but not forgotten.”
From the sidewalk, the charred remains of the house could be seen through the front door and a small red fire extinguisher lay outside.
A Star request for inspection records on the property was denied by Oshawa’s fire department on Wednesday, as well as the date of the last inspection for the Centre St. property. The Ontario Office of the Fire Marshal directed the Star to contact the local fire department for such records, but the request was declined and the Star was directed to file a freedom of information request.
At one point, McQuaid-England told reporters about her own 4-yearold daughter. Tears sprung to her eyes. “I can’t imagine,” she said.
She said it was unfortunate that council decided they would only do two proactive enforcements per year. Another councillor at the scene, John Neal, had been fighting with her for increased protection, she said.
“It’s unbelievable,” Neal told reporters, surveying the scene.
Ontario Fire Code requires working fire alarms in every building. Effective March 2006, it is the law for all Ontario homes to have a working smoke alarm on every storey and outside all sleeping areas. This covers single family, semi-detached and town homes, whether owner-occupied or rented.
The owner of a building is responsible for complying with the Fire Code, except where otherwise specified, according to the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services.
It’s unclear what the specific ownership and management structure of the Centre St. home was. Ownership records for the Centre St. property list a company called Vernacomp Limited taking possession of the now-burnt home in 2014. A man named Werner Schwiering is listed as the president of Vernacomp in a corporation profile report.
When reached by the Star, Schwiering confirmed a connection with the property, but had no further comment. Vernacomp owns another property in Oshawa. A Star reporter confirmed there were working fire detectors in that building.
Durham police Const. George Tudos told the Star on Wednesday that, at this time, police are not investigating any criminal component to the fire. In the week before she died, victim Lindsey Bonchek expressed her own concerns about the home she lived in — posting a photograph of her bedroom window, the inside of which was covered in frost.
“This is not normal to be frozen on the inside of my room,” she wrote, adding that it was just her bedroom window and none of the others. With files from Ainslie Cruickshank and durhamregion.com