'Life safety is at risk' from violations found at Downtown Eastside SRO bar, official says

The bar of a single room occupancy hotel in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside has been closed over what officials are calling "egregious" safety violations.

Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services said health and safety issues have plagued the Regent Hotel and Bar for years and on Friday officials shut the bar down.

"There's a huge list of violations, both in the hotel and the bar," said spokesperson JonathanGormick.

"They accrued to the point where we decided it was a serious threat to the occupants above and it could not be tolerated any longer."

One of the most concerning for Gormick was an obstruction in the fire department connectionblocking water that might be needed to fight a fire.

He said there is also "an excess" of combustible material stored behind the bar; fire exits are blocked; and the bar's ceiling, which should serveas a fire stopto protectresidents above, is full of holes.

Gormick even said the fire alarms are muffled by bags and clothes jammed behind its bells.

"Life safety is at risk," he said.

'Countless' safety visits

The closure only affects the bar, the City of Vancouver said, not the housing units above it.

Gormick said officials from numerous agencies have made "countless" visits to the Regentas safety concerns have mounted.

The building is owned by the Sahota family, known for owning various problem buildings in the city.

"We're not sure what the commitment level is like to get the renovations needed done," Gormick said. "They are quite extensive."

A city spokesperson told CBC an inspection last fall found more than 400 violations at the Regent.The owners face 359 charges for non-compliance as a result of those violations, the spokesperson said.

In addition, the city says, a spring inspection found 600 more safety violations.

Gormick said the city is now working to voluntarily relocate the Regent's residents because the whole structure will need work.

Messages left for members of theSahotafamily werenot returned.

With files from Susana da Silva.