Landlord sentenced after firefighter floor fall

A Sheffield landlord whose tenants were said to have narrowly avoided being killed in an apartment block fire has been given a suspended jail term.

In total, 11 people were trapped in the three-storey building on Brook Hill, Broomhall, in the early hours of 25 February 2022, with no fire alarm installed to warn residents.

The only stairwell tenants in the flats could use partially collapsed during the blaze, resulting in a firefighter falling through the stairs.

At Sheffield Crown Court, Zahir Ahmed, of Bannerdale Road, admitted six charges relating to fire safety and was sentenced to six months in prison suspended for 18 months.

Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus stayed with residents until the fire could be put out and the property ventilated, the fire service said.

Fire inspectors found no emergency lighting, poor quality fire doors and no ventilation in the stairwell.

At a previous court hearing, Ahmed admitted six charges of failing to comply with articles under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

On Thursday, Ahmed was told to complete 250 hours of community service and ordered to pay £10,000 of prosecution costs.

Judge Graham Robinson found that there was a real risk of serious harm to people during the incident, South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said.

“Mr Ahmed was wilfully not caring about the safety of individuals," he said.

"There had been a dreadful fire, which resulted in a firefighter falling through the stairs - it could have been catastrophic and was, in my view, a near fatal fire.”

Andy Strelczenie, deputy chief fire officer, said there could have been "a catastrophic outcome" had it not been for firefighters.

"Due to the lack of fire safety systems and management within this premises, it was extremely fortuitous in this instance that people did not die,” he said.

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