GROUP HOME OPERATOR PLEADS GUILTY TO EIGHT CHARGES

The owner of a house in the Treetops community in Alliston that was damaged in a fire two summers ago has pleaded guilty to eight fire code violations, and has been ordered to pay $62,500 in fines.

The fire at the two-storey home located on Treetops Boulevard broke out July 13 around 9 p.m.

The town said the home was being operated as a private group home for people with developmental disabilities and mental-health issues.

While nobody was injured in the blaze, the fire department charged the operator with 21 violations under the Fire Protection and Prevention Act.

The charges included not having a sprinkler system, as required for a care occupancy, as well as not having the required fire separations or fire safety

plan.

At a recent court hearing, the owner pleaded guilty to eight of the charges; the other charges were withdrawn.

While each count could have resulted in a fine of up to $50,000, the defendant was ordered to pay $6,250 per violation, totalling $62,500.

Under the fire code, individuals, including a director of a corporation, may receive a fine of up to $50,000 or a year in jail, or both, while a corporation that is convicted of an offence is liable to a fine of up to $100,000.

"New Tecumseth Fire Rescue reminds all residents, homeowners, business owners (and) building owners that there are requirements for installing and maintaining smoke and carbon monoxide alarms," reads a statement from the town. "In an emergency, seconds count. Working smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors save lives."

A man who lived in the basement of the home, who was 18 at the time of the fire, was later charged with arson endangering life. The police did not release his identity.