Tenants returning after fire question safety

Gosford Blvd. building cleared for reoccupancy but air quality in doubt

Some displaced residents of 235 Gosford Blvd. are questioning the safety of their units after being allowed to return to their homes this week, following a fatal five-alarm fire that ripped through their apartment complex earlier this year.

On behalf of the residents, lawyer Caryma Sa’d wrote an open letter to Mayor John Tory, stating that “residents want to see a comprehensive report from an environmental engineer/or indoor air quality hygienist before returning to the building.”

The building was cleared for reoccupancy by Toronto Building, the Ontario Electrical Safety Authority and Toronto Fire, according to Sa’d’s letter.

However, residents told Sa’d that they were not made aware of what the testing or restoration process entailed, leaving them feeling uneasy about the safety of their units.

One of the residents’ largest concerns is soot caused by the burning of highly flammable substances like plastic, carpet, wood products and synthetic fabrics that do not burn cleanly, Sa’d wrote in her letter.

“Toxic soot particles can cause asthma and other breathing issues … Soot may not be visible to the naked eye. It can be difficult, sometimes impossible to remove,” she wrote.

“Having spoken to experts in fire restoration, I am of the view that an air quality test (alone) is insufficient because when we’re talking soot particles that actually rest on objects and on walls and in carpets, the air itself may be clear, but the contents could still be dangerous.”

Sa’d said residents are eager to move back into their units but deserve to be reassured that the conditions are safe.

Don Peat, spokesperson for Tory, told the Star that the city’s building department sees “no issues with air quality in the units that have been approved for reoccupancy.”

Toronto Building undertook “thorough inspections” to ensure the building met standards set out in the Ontario Building Code and “responded directly to tenant representatives … to explain in detail the inspections that have been undertaken,” Peat said.

Brad Ross, the city’s chief communications officer, told the Star via email that the latest engineering report, dated Dec. 25, advised that 47 affected units, spanning seven floors, were ready to be reoccupied.

City staff inspected19 of the 47 units on Dec. 27 and deemed all 19 safe for re-entry.

The city will inspect the remaining units next week, Ross said, “to determine if additional units … can be removed from the order. ”

Peat added that, “The mayor has personally visited and communicated with tenants several times to hear their concerns and to relay those concerns to city staff and the landlord directly, so that they can be quickly resolved.”

The Nov. 15 fire displaced about 354 residents. Many stayed at community centres in the area, as well as a shelter at York University, until they were moved to hotels Nov. 29.

One person died in the fire and six others were injured.

“Toxic soot particles can cause asthma and other breathing issues … Soot may not be visible to the naked eye.”

CARYMA SA’D LAWYER