Photo: Brodie Smith

A resort in Radium B.C. has pleaded guilty to environmental violations and has been fined $200,000 for the toxic burning of demolition waste.

The fire was sparked accidentally on Feb. 22, 2016 and burned for six days, charing toxic demolition waste left behind when a hotel owned by the resort was knocked down the year prior.

Radium Resorts pleaded guilty on Aug. 23 in Invermere court to one count under the environmental management act and one count under the open burning regulation, according to BC COS deputy chief Chris Doyle.

The fire sparked great outcry from nearby residents when it happened, as there were complaints about the rubble pile forwarded to government by the local MLA over a year before the fire happened.

Radium Resorts had actually been ordered to clean up the waste in Dec. 2015.

The majority of the $200,000 penalty — $190,000 — will go to the Habitat Conservation Trust Initiative.