Fire inspection documents obtained by CTV News identify a total of 13 Ontario Fire Code violations at 745 Dundas St. since the beginning of 2025, but Toronto-based owner Radium-1 Development Ltd. claims all of the deficiencies at the residential building were resolved prior to the fire that killed a woman this summer. “I did everything!” asserts CEO Yaso Somalingam. “I did work with the city. I work with the fire department.” A 29-year-old woman died, and two other people were critically injured when fire broke out in the 13-unit building on July 17. At the time, the London Fire Department (LFD) confirmed that it had worked with the building’s owner regarding Ontario Fire Code violations, but could not provide details because a matter was before the courts. According to documents recently obtained through the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, there were two Inspection Orders issued since the beginning of 2025. A fire inspection conducted on February 5, 2025 discovered 10 deficiencies: A year later, on Feb. 26, 2026 an inspection identified three deficiencies: The Inspection Order from early 2026 contains additional details about the non-functioning fire alarm, “A trouble indicator is lit on the panel, and the fire alarm system has been silenced. Further to that, there are missing heat detectors throughout the building, and a report provided by your contractor indicates that the alarm is not fully functional.” Somalingam says all of the identified issues in the two reports had been resolved and, in his opinion, the building was safe before the fire in July, “The fire alarm system was working and the alarm panel was working.” He adds that the outstanding issue before the courts dates from prior to 2023, when he failed to meet a deadline to address other fire code deficiencies. “If this was not safe place, those 13 people wouldn’t be living there,” Somalingam tells CTV News. “And some of them had been living over ten years in that building.” He argues that city hall must do more to address homelessness, because the crisis is at the root of repeated break-ins, thefts, and damage to the fire safety equipment. “The municipality is not solving the homeless issue, so all these homeless people are flooding into these private owners properties,” Somalingam said. The London Fire Department declined to be interviewed about the Inspection Orders from 2025 and 2026, at this time, citing the ongoing legal matter.
