March planned to mark anniversary of deadly Winters Hotel fire

Survivors of the deadly Winters Hotel fire in Gastown two years ago are planning a march to mark the anniversary of the tragedy Thursday.

On April 11, 2022, candles left on a bed sparked the flames that burned down the single-room occupancy (SRO) hotel.

Crews working to demolish the building discovered the bodies of 53-year-old Dennis Guay and 68-year-old Mary Ann Garlow inside the building days later.

As well, 71 people who lived in the building were displaced as a result of the blaze.

The heritage building, which was over 100 years old, was operating as an 89-room SRO hotel for long-term tenants.



In January this year, a coroner’s inquest heard that sprinklers in the building didn’t work because they hadn’t been reset after a smaller fire three days earlier.

With files from Emma Crawford, Cole Schisler, and Hana Mae Nassar.

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