Close X
Sunday, November 24, 2024
ADVT 
National

Winters Hotel fire: B.C. inquest told of chained door, 'no way out' from deadly blaze

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 22 Jan, 2024 05:08 PM
  • Winters Hotel fire: B.C. inquest told of chained door, 'no way out' from deadly blaze

A coroner's inquest has been told that a Vancouver rooming house where a fire killed two people in 2022 had a chained door, as relatives testified about the devastating impact of the blaze.

The inquest into the deaths of Mary Ann Garlow and Dennis Guay began Monday with family members describing their loss in the fire that gutted the Winters Hotel in Vancouver. 

Garlow's niece, Misty Fredericks, told the inquest jury that her aunt's son John lived in the same building and jumped out of his third-storey room to escape the fire, shattering both legs.

"Mary was his caregiver, always looking out for his well-being, ensuring he was safe and fed. The love for her son is what saved John's life. It was Mary who made the ultimate motherly sacrifice by making sure her son jumped out the window before the last moments of her life," Fredericks said.

She said it would be too difficult for John to testify but he wanted the jury to know about his love for his mom, and that there were "chains on the door, the sprinklers didn't work and there was no way out."

She said people who knew Garlow said she loved the community that she found in the city's Downtown Eastside and that some people referred to her as their "street mom."

A statement from Guay's family read to the jury described his love of chess and backgammon and said his death left a "massive void."

The bodies of Garlow and Guay were found during demolition on the shell of the building more than a week after the fire in April 2022. Experts told the inquest that DNA from family members was used to confirm the identity of the victims.

The property manager originally said it was believed all residents had escaped.

Fredericks testified she was told her aunt's friends were concerned that she hadn't been seen, and missing person posters were created.

"(A friend) was at the site protesting and trying to stop demolition of the structural remains of the hotel. She had put some type of banner on the protective fencing and was yelling towards the machine operator to, 'Stop, she's in there,'" she said.

"Anybody who knew Mary and John would tell you that if Mary was in fact still alive, she absolutely would have made her way to her son's bedside at the hospital." 

The jury heard that Guay had severe hearing loss since childhood and wore hearing aids and read lips to communicate.

A psychiatrist testified that Guay had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and was stable and in good spirits at his last appointment days before the fire.

His family's statement said Guay loved music and spent years working in various local government positions in northern B.C.

"The grieving process for Dennis's family has been extremely hard, and his death has left a massive void," the family's lawyer, Rebecca Coad, read from the statement.

"A piece of the puzzle is missing and cannot be fixed. Life is taken day by day with the hope that one day they will come to terms with it."

Nearly 30 witnesses are scheduled to testify at the inquest, which is not to find fault but can lead to recommendations for preventing similar deaths in the future.

MORE National ARTICLES

Firearms charge for wanted Surrey man

Firearms charge for wanted Surrey man
Surrey Mounties say charges have been laid against a wanted man who was arrested last week, allegedly while in possession of a loaded gun. Mounties say officers were patrolling on Saturday when they recognized the 42-year-old man from a previous incident.  

Firearms charge for wanted Surrey man

Crane lowers three injured workers to safety after Vancouver scaffolding collapse

Crane lowers three injured workers to safety after Vancouver scaffolding collapse
A crane was used to extract three injured workers to safety in downtown Vancouver after a facade fell off a church building onto scaffolding.  Samantha Newlove, a traffic control worker, said the incident happened on Wednesday as concrete was being pumped into a chimney on the building, which burst, toppled over and pushed over a scaffolding tower, pinning workers underneath. 

Crane lowers three injured workers to safety after Vancouver scaffolding collapse

BC's speculation tax on homes expands

BC's speculation tax on homes expands
One of British Columbia's first measures to combat the housing crisis is being expanded to include 13 more communities. Finance Minister Katrine Conroy says the New Democrat government's speculation and vacancy tax will now apply to 59 B.C. cities and towns. 

BC's speculation tax on homes expands

Health Canada approves nationwide removal of blood donor ban sparked by mad cow fears

Health Canada approves nationwide removal of blood donor ban sparked by mad cow fears
Canadian Blood Services says almost 30 years of research and surveillance has made it clear that people who weren't eligible to donate under the travel criteria can do so safely.  The agency's medical officer, Dr. Aditi Khandelwal, says lifting the ban will not impact the safety of the blood supply and will allow thousands more people to donate much-needed blood.   

Health Canada approves nationwide removal of blood donor ban sparked by mad cow fears

Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk to join mission to International Space Station

Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk to join mission to International Space Station
Joshua Kutryk has been assigned to a six-month mission that will launch no earlier than the beginning of 2025. François-Philippe Champagne, federal minister of innovation, science and industry, made the announcement today at the Canadian Space Agency headquarters, near Montreal

Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk to join mission to International Space Station

Fear of avian flu on BC farms

Fear of avian flu on BC farms
The threat is avian flu, which has resulted in the deaths of millions of birds from infection or culling, and has become a pervasive fear for farmers as infections spread, said Brittain, chief information officer with the BC Poultry Association.

Fear of avian flu on BC farms