The city's social housing agency plans to fight a charge laid by Toronto Fire in connection with a triple fatal fire earlier this month.
On Wednesday, officials announced that Toronto Community Housing Corporation was being charged for having combustible materials near an exit.
Toronto Fire said the charge was based on two polyurethane chairs that were placed in a fifth floor hallway. The Ontario Fire Code violation carries a maximum penalty of a $100,000 fine.
Three seniors died as a result of the blaze, which broke out at a highrise on Neilson Road near Finch Avenue on the afternoon of Feb. 5. The building is an apartment complex for seniors, which is run by Toronto Community Housing.
A total of 18 people were taken to hospital with various injuries as a result of the fire, police said at the time. Many had to be rescued from the fifth floor by firefighters on ladders.
At a news conference Wednesday, TCHC's interim president said the organization will dispute the charge, and that he feels that they were in compliance with all fire code regulations.
"The armchairs have been in alcoves on all floors for many hears," Greg Spearn said.
"They are adjacent to the hallway, not part of a hallway exit area."
Although TCHC plans to fight the charge, Spearn said officials had examined several other buildings after the fire. Furniture was removed in some cases as a precaution, he said.
Toronto Fire Services is assisting TCHC in meeting their obligations under the Ontario Fire Code, Chief Jim Sales said Wednesday. There will be public education sessions, fire safety inspections and pre-incident plans in all of the organization's residential buildings, he said.
Sales said there are currently three other fire code violation charges pending against TCHC, and approximately 140 charges pending city-wide
"We're moving aggressively…to make sure our city is safer, our buildings are safer for all occupants in all buildings in the city," Sales said.
