(October 21, 2024 St. John's, N.L.) – Chris Tibbs, PC Shadow Minister for Fire and Emergency Services and MHA for Grand Falls-Windsor-Buchans, today urgently called for a thorough investigation into the fire at the Driftwood Inn in Deer Lake on Saturday morning.
Tibbs, while grateful for the efforts of local firefighters in battling the blaze, has spoken to several parents of a girls’ volleyball team staying at the hotel who have described harrowing stories of waking up to smoke in the hotel with no staff on site, no alarms or fire suppression systems functioning.
"How can a hotel operate without a functioning fire detection system," asked Tibbs. "Why didn't the sprinkler system activate? Why was there no staff on site to alert individuals? Was the building up to code and compliance with all municipal and provincial regulations?"
Tibbs, a former firefighter himself, indicated he had spoken to Melinda Sharpe, who other parents had described as a hero for alerting sleeping parents and children when she awoke to smoke-filled hallways. Ms. Sharpe banged on doors to warn sleeping guests of the fire to the point she suffered injuries to her hand.
"We are all so thankful no one was seriously hurt. However, if the fire had started in the middle of the night, we could have had a tragedy. Serious questions have been raised about the safety and emergency plan of that building. We must launch a thorough investigation, and the report must be released publicly so affected families, and the general public can get answers."