Victims of fatal Gastown fire officially identified
The two people whose remains were found after a fire destroyed a building in Vancouver's Gastown have been officially identified.
Police said the remains were those of Mary-Ann Garlow, 68, and Dennis Guay, 53. The Vancouver Police Department said in a statement that their identities were confirmed by DNA and "their next-of-kin have been notified."
On April 11, flames tore through the Winters Hotel, a single-room-occupancy building housing 71 people. Firefighters rescued several residents from the blaze but were not able to thoroughly search it.
Demolition of the fire-ravaged building was halted on April 23 when crews discovered a body. Several hours later, a second person's remains were found. The tragic discovery raised questions about earlier statements from the housing provider that everyone who lived there was accounted for.
The Winters Hotel is operated by Atira Property Management Inc. After the two bodies were discovered, CEO Janice Abbott told CTV News that the organization's staff were devastated by the news, although it was not entirely unexpected because Garlow had been reported missing.
"We're not clear who the second body is," she said at the time.
In a statement to CTV News Saturday, a spokesperson for BC Housing said it worked with the police, the fire department and Atira in the immediate aftermath of the fire to confirm the safety of residents.
Work is ongoing to "better understand how the two residents were inaccurately accounted for during building evacuation, and if there are any necessary adjustments to policy and procedures for buildings under BC Housing management or that are publicly owned," the statement said.
The investigation into the fire is ongoing. The fire department has said the preliminary findings suggest it was caused by unattended candles. The building's sprinkler system was disabled at the time, having been turned off after being activated by a fire three days prior.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.