The landlords of an East Vancouver residence constructing consumed by fireplace this summer time was in courtroom Monday, dealing with allegations the constructing was unsafe.
Fu Ren declined to remark exterior the Vancouver courthouse. Inside, he and his spouse Feng Yan pleaded responsible to 6 of 20 fireplace code violations they had been dealing with associated to the constructing.
The fireplace broke out on the constructing at East tenth Avenue and Prince Edwards Road on the night of July 27, leaving greater than 70 individuals with out a roof over their heads.
A number of tenants instructed International Information on the time that that they had issues concerning the constructing’s fireplace security, and that eight months earlier than the hearth the Metropolis of Vancouver had cited 20 security violations to the owner.
These violations, for which the couple had been in courtroom Monday, embrace failure to take care of sprinkler methods and fireplace extinguishers, and permitting fireplace hazards equivalent to uncovered wires and flamable supplies.
Ren, who was representing himself, spoke by way of an interpreter and instructed the courtroom he hadn’t been correctly notified of the precise code violations, and that he hadn’t been allowed to take part within the fireplace inspections.
“I had made many requests to the hearth division so once they come to inform me the time of inspections and we will determine the issues collectively however they by no means honoured my requests,” he instructed the courtroom.
Proceedings had been additionally drawn out by way of the plea-entering course of, as Fen sought to argue every depend.
That course of noticed courtroom time expire earlier than Crown had the chance to start making its case and proceedings had been adjourned for the day.
A brand new courtroom date has not been scheduled.
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