Owners of flame-gutted building accused of failing to secure site

The owners of an East Vancouver apartment block gutted by fire Tuesday are scheduled to appear in provincial court later this month in relation to allegations they failed to protect the building — already badly damaged by a previous blaze — against the risk of another fire.

According to court documents, Fu De Ren and Feng Yan are facing bylaw charges of failing to provide 24-hour security patrol for "exterior Fire Watch" and failing to take precautions to "remove or reduce any hazard or risk of fire, explosion, or danger to life and property."

The couple are slated to appear in Robson Square provincial court later this month.

'No repercussions'

Fire crews responded to a blaze late Tuesday at the building, which is also known as MacQuarie Place. The fire came almost a year after flames gutted the structure last July — forcing 70 people from their homes.

According to police, this week's fire is still under investigation. Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services (VFRS) said Wednesday the city's chief building official has ordered the building demolished.

The abandoned building has sat vacant since last July, while displaced tenants complained that they were still owed money in compensation from their landlord.

Former resident Avneet Takhar told the CBC that she has moved to Ontario, in part as a response to what happened following the fire and what she saw as a lack of protection for renters.

"This has been a lot of the tenants' experience that they've moved out of the province," she said.

"There seems to have been no repercussions. None of us tenants have been compensated whatsoever."

'The owner doesn't matter'

In a brief telephone conversation, a man who answered a phone number associated with Ren through a different lawsuit told the CBC to contact police,

"The owner doesn't matter," he told a reporter before complaining that newspapers should notice "that Vancouver has lots of criminals and problems."

In February, Ren was fined $4,500 after pleading guilty to six bylaw infractions which predated the first fire, including failing to illuminate exit lighting, failing to correct defects interfering with the operation of fire separations and permitting the accumulation of combustible material.

He was also ordered at that time to secure the building against unauthorized entry and to provide a 24-hour security patrol for exterior fire watch.

The charges still before the court were laid last December in relation to bylaw violations which allegedly occurred in September 2023. In addition to failing to remove hazards and failing to provide security, Ren and Yan are also accused of failing to board up access points to the building.

'It remains fire damaged'

Inspection reports obtained by CBC last October showed the city had been trying for years to get the owners to fix the problems, which inspectors feared would help a fire spread more quickly.

There had also been fires at two other rental buildings owned by the couple as well — first reported by The Tyee — one of which was fatal.

Tuesday's fire came just two weeks after VanCity filed against Ren and Yan in B.C. Supreme Court in a bid to foreclose on a $2 million mortgage associated with the property — which is assessed at just over $8 million.

According to the court filings, the couple are allegedly in default of a loan agreement because of their "failure to remediate" damages caused by the July 2023 fire.

The court file includes a series of pictures of the abandoned building taken by bank staff.

"Though the building is standing, it remains fire damaged and is unoccupied," the petition to the court reads.

None of the allegations against Ren and Yan have been proven in court.