Atira lawsuits accuse 2 Winters Hotel residents in fires, one of which was deadly

Karin Larsen · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 09, 2025 8:07 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 minutes ago

Two erstwhile residents of the now-demolished Winters Hotel person been named successful documents filed successful B.C. Supreme Court arsenic being allegedly wholly oregon partially liable for the fires, 1 of which killed 2 people and destroyed the Gastown SRO 3 years ago.

Claims filed by Atira Development Society, Atira Women's Resource Society and Atira Property Management Inc., accidental the occupant of portion #222 of the Winters residence, "caused and/or contributed to the First Fire," portion the occupant of portion #206 "caused and/or contributed to the Second Fire."

CBC is not identifying the 2 individuals named arsenic defendants successful the lawsuits.

Residents Mary Ann Garlow and Dennis Guay died successful the 2nd fire, which besides destroyed the building. 

Atira leased the Winters Hotel from a backstage proprietor and ran it arsenic supportive lodging for astir 70 radical facing societal and economical challenges.

Alongside B.C. Housing, the City of Vancouver and others, Atira is facing a fig of lawsuits, including from the gathering proprietor and 3 businesses that operated connected the crushed floor.

Last year, a justice certified a class-action suit for Winters Hotel residents and visitors.

The Atira claims accidental that if Atira entities are recovered liable for losses, harm oregon expenses, "the aforesaid was caused successful full oregon successful portion by the fault, acts, omissions, negligence, oregon breach of work of attraction of the Defendants..."

"...[Atira] is entitled to publication and indemnity from the Defendants to the grade of the grade to which the Defendants are recovered by the Court to person been astatine responsibility for immoderate damages suffered," the claims read.

A occurrence that broke retired successful a Winters Hotel country connected April 8, 2022, acceptable off alarms and a sprinkler strategy that helped extinguish the flames.

However, 3 days later, erstwhile unattended burning candles caused a 2nd occurrence to interruption retired successful a antithetic room, the hotel's alarm and sprinklers did not activate due to the fact that the strategy had not been reactivated aft the earlier fire.

Without sprinklers, flames dispersed rapidly done the 115-year-old building. The bodies of Garlow and Guay were recovered successful the rubble implicit a week later. 

No responses to the claims person been filed, and nary of the allegations person been tested successful court.