A man staying at Prince George's Econo Lodge when a blaze engulfed part of the top floor, has filed a class-action lawsuit against numerous parties relating to safety.
Leonard Hay filed the civil claim on Aug. 25 to recover damages for wrongful death, personal injury, loss of property and economic losses on his own behalf and of other registered guests, as well as other individuals who were at the hotel at the time of the blaze on July 8 that claimed the lives of three people and has since been declared as arson by police.
Hay says he was renting room #243 for $1,200 per month at the time of the fire.
That morning, around to 8:30 a.m., he claims he heard screams from the room next to his and saw flames outside of his window. The window then exploded and was able to get out of the hotel using the outside door leading to a walkway and ran along it to safety.
As reported earlier, those staying at the hotel did not hear any fire alarms go off and no sprinklers were deployed. Hay also says there was no staff directing any guests to a safe place or assisting with people trying to escape the fire.
His claim says he suffered serious physical injuries, which included second- and third-degree burns, along with psychological issues as he lost all of his personal belongings.
The lawsuit, filed by CAMP Fiorante Matthews Mogerman LLP and Dick Byl Law Corporation, includes all individuals that were registered guests in the Econo Lodge, those on the site at the hotel or anyone that was in the popular adjoining restaurant, Yolks All Day Family Restaurants.
Excluded from the plaintiff and those represented, are the defendants, their directors, officers, representatives, servants, employees and/or agents.
Hay has accused Mundi 910 Victoria Enterprise Ltd., the City of Prince George, Choice Hotels Canada, All Points Fire Protection Ltd. and Aztech Fire Safety of all being negligent in the maintenance of the hotel and safety repairs required.
The suit alleges Mundi Hotel Co. operated the hotel at all material times, but when contacted by PrinceGeorgeMatters, the company said the property was sold and run by TJ Khatrao in March 2019. PrinceGeorgeMatters has reached out to the plaintiff's legal team for clarification.
Choice Hotels Canada allegedly owns, licenses and franchises the 'Econo Lodge' brand for both motels and hotels.
The roughly 56-year-old hotel was repaired and renovated over time, the suit says.
Aztech Fire Safety Planning and Consulting (2015) Ltd. was allegedly the company that prepared a fire safety plan which included evacuation procedures.
The suit says on or around Feb. 21, 2020, the City of Prince George had done inspections on the hotel's fire warning as well as suppression systems.
The city found numerous problems, including the hotel needed a safety plan and its portable extinguishers, fire alarm system and emergency lights needed testing and allegedly ordered Mundi Co. to fix the problems.
All Points Fire Protection Ltd. had apparently gone over all issues and purported to test, inspect, repair or replace the hotel's current fire safety system.
The city once again came in for inspection on July 6, two days before the fire, and had found the problems had been fixed.
Mundi Hotel Co., All Points Fire Protection Ltd., Aztech Fire Safety Planning and Consulting (2015) Ltd. and the City of Prince George are all being sued for numerous claims of negligence for ensuring the safety of guests including a fire safety plan, sprinklers and fire alarm systems and having employees trained should such an accident happen on the property.
Mundi Hotel Co. is also being sued for breach of contract.
Damages being sought are as follows:
- Loss of life
- Loss of personal property
- Loss of housing
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of employment income both past and continuing into the future
None of the allegations have been proven in court.
When contacted by PrinceGeorgeMatters for comment, the City of Prince George said they do not comment on matters before the courts.
Aztech Fire Safety Planning and Consulting (2015) Ltd., stated they were looking into the lawsuit filed, while All Points Fire Protection Ltd. also said they could not provide comment as the matter is before the courts.
Mundi Hotel Co. referred PrinceGeorgeMatters to TJ Khatrao, who purchased the hotel in 2019.
Khatrao has yet to reply to our request for comment as of this publication.
