A settlement of $5.25 million dollars has been hammered out in connection with the Econo Lodge fire in Prince George six years ago, according to the B.C. Supreme Court.
The blaze claimed the lives of three people and injured many others. A week into the investigation, the Prince George RCMP stated the fire was deliberately set.
Court documents show that the settlement will compensate registered guests staying at the motel on the night of the fire, people present during the fire, as well as patrons at the adjacent Yolks All Day Family Restaurant at the time along with family members of those who passed away.
Following the arson determination from police,MyPGNow obtained documents confirming the motel underwent a routine fire inspection two days prior to the blaze on July 6th.
An initial inspection took place on February 21st of 2020, where several concerns were brought to the attention of business owner, TJ Khatrao, who also owned the North Star Inn & Suites at the time.
During the initial inspection, concerns were raised about the fire alarm system with a notation explaining that the alarms must be tested and tagged annually.
Similar concerns were noted about portable extinguishers, emergency lighting, and the building’s fire safety plan.
A subsequent report five months later found everything to be in working order.
In the days following the blaze, people began to speak about their experience during the early stages.
Cheyenne Wingo and her boyfriend stayed at the Econo Lodge for four days with the goal of trying to secure a place in PG.
She considered themselves lucky to be alive after hearing crackling sounds like popcorn along with some screaming from nearby suites.
“My boyfriend started yelling at me to get up and quickly get dressed and to get out of there. I grabbed the first thing I saw, which was my dress, I also grabbed my purse, my Dad’s truck keys and we both ran to the door, picked up our sandals and ran out.”
To make matters more stressful, Wingo was 31 weeks pregnant.
“That was my main concern was thinking about my baby and getting out of there right away. It’s not good to run when you are pregnant but I ran really fast and just the stress of it all ended up giving me small contractions.”
Both of them lost personal items including their TV, clothes, and a gaming system along with their daughter’s ultrasound pictures.
– with files from MyPGNow.com staff
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