City, 911 operator sued over death of man who set house fire

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This article was published 12/11/2024 (682 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The family of a man who died in a house fire — which he had set — is suing the City of Winnipeg and a 911 operator, claiming the emergency call he made hours earlier wasn’t treated with urgency.

The statement of claim, filed in Manitoba Court of King’s Bench by the family of Daniel Fraser Rentz, seeks financial compensation for “loss of guidance, care and companionship,” as well as a better understanding about the 911 call and response to it.

“Daniel’s family members are using the civil litigation process to discover the facts regarding their loved one’s death,” said lawyer Jacob Love. “They are seeking answers.”

Patrolling police officers spotted the fire at 792 Logan Ave., around 1 a.m. on Nov. 6, 2022. They helped a 69-year-old woman escape from the home before firefighters arrived. They also tried to find Rentz, 45, before being pushed back by flames and smoke.

The cause of the fire was unknown at the time, but the lawsuit states Rentz had gone to a nearby gas station and bought two jerrycans of gasoline. It says he took them to the basement, padlocked the door and used the gas to cause “an explosion and attendant fire.”

The cause of death was determined to be a thermal injury with gasoline accelerant.

The family says Rentz, who suffered from methamphetamine-induced psychosis as well as recent suicidal ideation, had phoned 911 between 9:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., to say he was “suffering suicidal ideation and required emergency mental health assistance.”

The family said Rentz also told the 911 operator “he was going to kill himself.”

The lawsuit claims the 911 operator was “negligent and acted in bad faith” in several ways including not treating the call with urgency, not prioritizing the call, not dispatching responders to the house “in a timely manner, or at all,” and failing to de-escalate the man’s suicidal ideation.

The family seeks authorized benefits under The Fatal Accidents Act, consisting of $30,000 apiece to Rentz’s mother and father, and $10,000 to each of his three siblings. it wants special damages, including funeral costs, as well as court costs against the city.

The lawsuit has not been adjudicated by the courts and no statement of defence has been filed.

The damaged house was hit by fire again and later demolished by the city.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca