The landlady of a block of flats in Ventnor that were the center of a serious fire incident back in May has been fined nearly £80,000 by the Isle of Wight Crown Court after a judge found that she put her tenants at risk through a lack of basic safety equipment.
Mrs Daphne Curzon from Bonchurch was fined a total of £79,900 and ordered to pay £1,350 in costs this week after the Isle of Wight Crown Court heard how her property in Ventnor High Street did not have adequate fire doors, no smoke alarms or detectors and no downstairs fire escape.
As reported by Island Echo, emergency services were alerted to five people trapped inside the block of flats shortly before 22:45 on 22nd May. In total, two people – a man and a woman – plus a dog were all rescued from the roof of the High Street terraced building, that became smoke logged throughout. A further three people were rescued by firefighters using ladders at the rear of the property.
Police launched an investigation into the incident, which found that the fire was started by means of arson following a break-in.
Work is underway to repair the building, with nearly £10,000 of additional work being undertaken to make the property fire safety compliant.
Watch a video of the incident below
