A St Catharines property management company and a local apartment building owner have been handed hefty fines after pleading guilty to dozens of fire code violations in court this week.

TransGlobe Property Management Service was fined $40,000 after pleading guilty yesterday to 24 infractions at 221 Glenridge Ave including failing to maintain working smoke alarms.

A numbered company that owns a rental apartment building at 378 Vine St. was fined $18,000 after pleading guilty yesterday to 15 charges

Those charges follow a 2010 fire at the building.

St Catharines Chief Fire Prevention officer Nancy MacDonald says property owners and managers have a legal responsibility to keep their tenants safe.

 Far too often the failure to meet this responsibility results in unnecessary injury and death she adds.