The owner of a Vancouver apartment complex evacuated last week because of numerous fire hazards will be charged with more than 30 bylaw offences, according to the city.
The 18-unit building at 2154 Dundas Street was evacuated Thursday night, after fire inspectors ruled that it was too dangerous to live in.
The City of Vancouver says that bylaw officials are now preparing to charge the building's owner, Joshua Iu of Yiu Enterprises, with 25 fire bylaw violations and at least seven other bylaw offences.
The fire-related charges cover Iu's alleged failure to install functioning fire safety signs, fire extinguishers, smoke alarms, heat detectors and emergency lighting, among other suspected violations.
Each offence comes with a fine of between $500 and $10,000.
Iu will also face maintenance and electrical charges from problems ranging from broken windows and doors to an infestation of cockroaches and mice. In addition, the city expects to charge Iu for failing to comply with three bylaw orders.
Those offences each carry a fine of between $250 and $2,000.
Iu could be charged with another 14 bylaw offences if he doesn't comply with a maintenance order that expires on Jan. 24.
The 23 tenants displaced from the building have been promised a new place to live if the building isn't brought up to code quickly, but the city says the list of repairs is long.
The Vancouver bylaw team plans to visit at least five more "problem" properties in the coming weeks to make sure they meet fire codes.
In December, three men died at a rooming house on Pandora Street -- another property with numerous failed inspections. The city has been criticized for not shutting it down before tragedy struck.
