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Charges laid in 2022 Hamilton townhouse fire that killed four people

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The residence at 14 Derby Street, Unit 4, is shown in Hamilton on Friday, Dec. 30, 2022. The Hamilton Fire Department has laid charges against two tenants who survived a townhouse fire. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Peter Power

HAMILTON — The Hamilton Fire Department has laid charges against two tenants who survived a townhouse fire last December that killed four people.

Two adults and two children died in the fire in Hamilton on Dec. 29, 2022.

Ontario's Fire Marshal has said there were no working smoke alarms in the home.

The fire department says the two tenants have been charged with two offences under the Fire Code, including disabling a smoke alarm.

They are also charged with failing to notify the landlord that an alarm in the unit was disconnected, was not operating or that the operation of an alarm in the unit was impaired.

If convicted, they could face of a fine of up to $50,000 for a first offence, up to a year in jail or both.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 19, 2023.

The Canadian Press


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