A person renting a strata unit at UBC caused an explosion when using a portable gas stove indoors, says a Feb. 15 B.C. Supreme Court notice of civil claim.
Unit owner Xiaolu Niu claims renter Cishan Cheng or someone they allowed to do so used a Canada Six Fortune butane gas stove on Feb. 26, 2022.
The claims said use of the stove caused an explosion or flash fire.
That event, the claim said, caused the sprinkler system to activate causing water damage to the unit, adjacent units and common areas of the building.
The claim asserts Cheng failed to use reasonable care in operating the stove, failed to use and store the butane correctly and failed to take reasonable steps to extinguish the flash fire.
Niu claims losses for a strata chargeback, fire investigation costs, repairs, replacement of contents and other damages.
The allegations have not been proven in court.
Strata disputes frequently wind up before the B.C. Civil Resolution Tribunal. There is no file for the strata corporation in that tribunal’s database.
