Latest news with #fireinspectors
CTV News
7 days ago
- CTV News
Owner of buildings in 2 deadly Old Montreal fires fined for safety code violation
Firefighters stand next to a building in Old Montreal on Saturday, Oct., 5, 2024. A fire that tore through a century-old building in Old Montreal killed at least two people and forced dozens of others out of the area, city police confirmed Saturday as they continued to probe what caused the building to catch alight. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes The owner of two Old Montreal buildings that burned down in 2023 and 2024, killing nine people, has been convicted for violating the fire safety code at another one of his residential buildings. Emile Benamor, a lawyer and landlord who owns several buildings in Montreal, was found guilty on June 19 of failing to maintain a clear path to the emergency exit at 2321 De Hampton Ave., in the city's Notre-Dame-de-Grâce neighbourhood. According to the judgment from the municipal court, two fire inspectors visited the three-storey apartment building for an inspection on March 23, 2023. They noted that, in one unit, one door leading outside had no handle. A door in another apartment had been held together by a chain and adhesive tape. When the inspector forced their way in, the tape was so dry that it cracked into pieces The building was sold to Benamor in 2020. The city took him to court after the inspection and a judge found him guilty of violating section 8 of the fire safety code. Justice Johanne Duplessis said maintaining exits and ensuring they are clear of obstructions helps occupants get out safely during an emergency. 'The risk of serious harm resulting from these breaches is high in the event of a fire, as they jeopardize the safety and lives of residents,' the judge wrote. Landlord plans to appeal judge's decision Reached for comment on Wednesday, Benamor's lawyer, Germain Caponi-Champagne, told CTV News that the door that was missing a handle was broken by the tenant, and that the tape that was installed on the door in the other unit was installed by the tenant. The court issued a fine of $650 for the violation, plus costs. He said Benamor intends to file a notice of appeal of the conviction, claiming that there are 'some mistakes in law in the judge's decision.' He declined to comment further. In his defence, Benamor told the court that the tenants had refused him access to the units and, because of that, he was unable to observe the deficiencies in the apartment and carry out safety checks. However, the judge rejected the argument that he exercised reasonable diligence, saying that the claim is not backed up by evidence, and that, given that he's an experienced landlord, he should have known that he could have contacted Quebec's housing tribunal (TAL) when he was denied access to the units. 'It is clear from the defendant's testimony that he never took any concrete steps with the tenants of units 6 and 7, in connection with the Fire Prevention Regulations,' the judge stated. '[Benamor] could have, for example, explained the regulations to the tenants or asked them for access, in order to ensure compliance with the regulations. Instead, the defendant simply repeated during his testimony before the Tribunal that the tenants were not giving him access, referring to the fact that they refused to sign the rent increase notice, a situation that has nothing to do with safety and fire regulations. 'The defendant took it for granted that if the tenants refused to accept service of documents relating to a rent increase and refused him entry at the time of his purchase, the same will apply to everything else.' Building inspected one week after deadly fire The building on De Hampton Avenue was inspected one week after the March 16, 2023, deadly fire in Old Montreal that killed seven people. Benamor owned the heritage building at Place d'Youville, where families of the victims reported that there were fire safety concerns. The father of one of the victims and a former tenant alleged that at least one of the units had no windows or fire escapes, while survivors of the fire have suggested the alarms never went off. On Oct. 4, 2024, another one of Benamor's buildings was allegedly set on fire, killing French tourist Léonor Geraudie and her seven-year-old daughter Vérane Reynaud-Geraudie. Two young men were later arrested. After the fire, former short-term rental guests who stayed there claimed there were safety issues in the building at 402 Notre-Dame Street. 'The door and the lock felt flimsy in the room. My room also had a smoke detector mount but no smoke detector,' one woman told CTV News at the time. On Oct. 8, 2024, Benamor's office was hit by gunfire. Three suspects were later arrested by Montreal police.
CBS News
09-05-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
KCAL News investigation uncovers brush issues in wake of Palisades Fire
Sam Rubin watched on January 7 when the Palisades Fire began to rapidly approach his home. "It was just all so surreal," he said, recalling the moments he saw the first embers and smoke begin to swirl in the midst of the intense windstorm. "We saw the sky, it was if you saw a tornado and you were right in the path," Rubin said. The fire's path did head directly at him, first jumping to his backyard before engulfing his home in flames. 'It's like a battlefield without the bodies," he said. "And it's sad." Now, more than 100 days removed from the day the fire erupted to quickly burn thousands of buildings, Rubin is one of many across Los Angeles still questioning what more could have been done. "it's very upsetting, because one large parcel of land could be a huge contributor, could've avoided the scale of damage,' he said. Just yards beyond what remains of his property, and many other burned homes, sits a large ravine. LA County calls it's Parcel Number 4419-015-026. In 2024, fire inspectors cited property the owner for failing to clear brush from near homes bordering the ravine, which was documented on May 5, including the lot in question. Three months later, on July 27, firefighters again raised concerns over the fire danger in the area, posting public notice of violation as the brush continued to grow higher. KCAL News has obtained documents that show the area has been a risk for far longer. Over the last five years, it has garnered $31,430 in fines from the city. It's the most cited parcel of land in the Palisades. The Los Angeles Fire Department has further confirmed that the owner inaction stretches back to 2005. The property, they say, had presented brush danger growing unabated, often for months at a time. The department was repeatedly tasked with hiring contractors to cut down the overgrown vegetation, including in August 2024, just four months before the Palisades Fire sparked. "It was clearly fuel, and the fire, and the winds, which was a whole different game changer," he said. "But, it's like, they can have this piece of land that looks beautiful, but yet they may not be doing the required upkeep and maintenance. Then it comes at a huge price that we're possibly the victims of." Further data obtained by KCAL News Investigations found 49 other properties in the Palisades that have been cited and cleared by LAFD-hired contractors in the last five years. More than one-third of those had to be cited and cleared more than once. Some of the parcels of land are completely empty, while some have unoccupied homes. Most of them still have thousands of dollars worth of fines and many now sit next to burned out homes. LAFD Captain Chris Thyfault leads the department's Brush Inspection Team, which checks on properties across the city to ensure they meet the fire-hardening recommendations. He says that while brush clearance alone would not have stopped the powerful blaze, it still presents a critical factor that provides more dangerous fuel to every fire that breaks out. "When we're dealing with the Palisades Fire, all bets are off," he said. The Pacific Palisades is far from the only area where there are issues, according to data obtained by KCAL News Investigative Reporter Ross Palombo. Last year, there were 10,827 fire inspection citations and 1,465 second citations. Firefighters say those numbers are down, but they also noted that the amount of properties that they ultimately had to clear had risen by 20% to 566. One of those properties sits near Eric Landmark's home in Tujunga. It has been repeatedly cited and cleared by city contractors, something that Landmark says is a constant issue and concern. "It's like perfect fuel and it just stays like that for months," he said. LAFD inspector Brent Kneisler could leads a team of just 12 inspectors who are tasked with diagnosing problems across 155,000 properties before they become critical and threaten lives. That task became even more substantial when Cal Fire released their newly re-classified Fire Hazard Severity Zones map, adding 16,000 more acres to the massive swath of land Kneisler and his team oversee. "It is a huge increase," Kneisler said, "roughly 20-to-30% more inspections." All of this comes amid allegations of budget cuts that may have exacerbated the Palisades Fire. This year, Captain Thyfault said that he had to cut two support staff members, and that the department will be losing one more in coming weeks. Mayor Karen Bass last month revealed a nearly $1 billion shortfall in the city's budget during her State of the City Address. Palombo asked Bass if LAFD could receive additional funding to help prevent some of those layoffs, saying they need more help. "I know they do, but many other departments do too," she said. Interim LAFD Chief Ronnie Villanueva, who took over after Kristin Crowley's dismissal, says people need to focus on helping the system, not hurting it. "By the inaction, you're causing a reaction from us and that's not a good thing for public safety," he said. Rubin similarly hopes that more people will be cognizant of the potential impact of the brush clearing on their land. "I don't think the fire was avoidable, but the destruction and the magnitude of destruction was uncalled for," Rubin said. "It's sad. A lot of people just wanted to live their lives and enjoy the slice of heaven we say is home. It's a whole new landscape now." KCAL News tried to locate the owners of the Palisades property, but has had no success. It's owned by an LLC. LA County says hundreds of thousands of dollars in back taxes are also owed on that property. The person who owns the Tujunga property also never responded to request for comment. Since KCAL's initial interview with Mayor Bass, she has proposed hiring an additional 227 fire personnel. That proposal has not yet been approved by the LA City Council. The captain over LAFD's brush inspection unit, though, says he hasn't heard anything about his department getting more resources.
