Inquest ordered into deadly Winters Hotel fire in Gastown

A fire tears through a building in Vancouver's Gastown neighbourhood on Monday, April 11, 2022. (Jim Fong / CTV News Vancouver)

The B.C. government has ordered a coroner's inquest into the Winters Hotel fire that broke out in Vancouver's Gastown neighbourhood earlier this year and left two people dead.

Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth announced the inquest Thursday, more than three months after flames tore through the single-room occupancy hotel, killing 68-year-old Mary-Ann Garlow and 53-year-old Dennis Guay.

"Everyone deserves to be safe in their homes. Recommendations from the inquest into the Winters Hotel deaths could help prevent fires in single-room occupancy buildings and save lives," Farnworth said in a news release.

"As the number of fire-related deaths increases in British Columbia, it is imperative that we take action to ensure vulnerable people are protected from fire hazards."

The government has not announced when the inquest will take place.

Coroner's inquests are fact-finding proceedings, but can't determine fault or legal responsibility.

Firefighters previously said their preliminary findings suggested the April 11 fire was caused by unattended candles.

The sprinkler system in the building, which was operated by Atira Property Management Inc., was disabled at the time of the blaze. The system had been activated during another fire days earlier, then turned off.