Illegal apartment shut down in basement of Kingston restaurant: fire officials

A tip about people sleeping in the basement of a Kingston restaurant has led to the closure of what officials say was an illegal apartment.

Fire officials say a room with space for several people to live was found during an inspection at One Eyed Jack Restaurant and Bar earlier this month.

“When we arrived and went into the basement we did observe an apartment…. There was six beds down there and there were three individuals sleeping at the time of the inspection,” Kingston Fire & Rescue chief fire prevention officer Ted Posadowski said.

“We issued an immediate threat to life for the removal of the individuals that were sleeping in the basement, as well as the bedding and any personal belongings.”

The basement setup included a living room, a bathroom and laundry facilities, Posadowski said.

Posadowski said “due to the circumstances,” police, public health and officials from the city’s building department were there for the April 5 inspection.

In an email to Global News Kingston, police said they are not investigating further.

“We attended and determined that nothing criminal occurred and do not have an investigation into this matter,” a police spokesperson said.

Posadowski said sleeping in the basement of the restaurant presented a variety of fire and life safety hazards.

“From a fire and safety perspective, an apartment or living quarters – what we observed – is not permitted in that building.

“Concerns with exiting, people sleeping under the commercial cooking and also if there was a fire at two in the morning, our crews wouldn’t think there would be people sleeping in the basement of a restaurant.

“So that would change how we would attack the fire or turn it into a rescue situation.”

— with files from Global’s Kaytlyn Poberznick