Property landlord jailed for fire safety breaches
In September 2010, a woman and her three-year-old daughter were killed by a fire at their rented home in Milton Keynes. Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Fire Authority subsequently found a number of fire safety breaches at the property:
- Insufficient fire detectors and alarms
- Failure to conduct an adequate fire risk assessment
- Absence of safe evacuation procedures or routes
The landlord was prosecuted by the Fire Authority and has been jailed for four months. He has also been fined ten thousand pounds in prosecution costs.
As a landlord, the man had a responsibility towards the tenants who were paying to rent his property. His failure to adhere to fire safety regulations could have cost the woman and her child their lives.
Fire is a serious threat to life, whether in the workplace or in the home. Fire safety training can help to raise awareness of the risks as well as how to put measures into place that will reduce the risk of a fire breaking out in the first place.
Fire detectors and alarms can offer early warning should a fire start on a property, while evacuation routes will enable people to escape from the smoke and flames.