Old Montreal fire: Police say undetermined number of people died
Posted October 4, 2024 8:27 am.
Last Updated October 4, 2024 6:53 pm.
Police (SPVM) say an undetermined number of people have died after a major fire broke out early this morning in a century-old building in Old Montreal.
Insp. David Shane says police can’t confirm the number of people who are dead or identify them, only saying “we expect deaths.”
He says three people were hurt, one of whom was taken to hospital with serious injuries.
According to officials, the fire started at around 2:40 a.m at 400 Notre-Dame East, near Bonsecours.
The three-story building housed a restaurant-bar on the first floor and a hostel called Le 402 located on the other two floors.
The building has 19 rooms, according to Montreal police.
The fire is believed to have started on the first floor of the building. The cause is still unknown.
The case has been transferred to the SPVM’s major crimes unit as police say the fire was suspicious.
The blaze prompted an extensive deployment of 125 firefighters to the area. No firefighters were injured.
About 40 people were evacuated and it’s still unclear if everyone got out safely. Red Cross says they’ve helped about 30 people so far, and at least half won’t be able to go back and will need shelter elsewhere.
Before noon on Friday, Guy Lapointe, Division Chief for Montreal Fire department said that they’re trying to locate everyone that was inside the building, “but I don’t have any information as to whether or not people are missing or not.”
Thomas Sawer, a tourist from Germany was staying at the short-term rental when the fire broke out.
“I was very lucky because my luggage was already packed so I could just grab it and run and then when I went down the stairs I already saw a smoke coming up,” said Sawer.
Sawer claims that the rooms did not match the descriptions on the website when he booked his stay. He states that they were significantly smaller and lacked proper windows.
“They did have windows but they were not real windows. You couldn’t open them. It was like not windows to the street,” said Sawer.
Old Montreal building fire raises concerns
According to the Rôle d’évaluation foncière de la Ville de Montréal, the building was built in 1923. It is owned by Emile Benamor, who also owned the heritage building on Place D’Youville that was destroyed by fire in March 2023. The blaze claimed seven lives and is under a criminal investigation.
Alexandre Bergevin, a lawyer who represents Benamor, said his client did not have any comment on the fire. The ground floor of the building housed a wine bar called Loam. The upper floors were rented out to a third-party that operated a hostel called Le 402, Bergevin said. On the website booking.com, reservations for the hostel were suspended Friday.
Fiona Ham, president of the Association des residants du Vieux-Montreal, said when she first heard the news, she thought it was something old. “I was just finishing running this morning and my neighbour sent me an article and I was like wait a second that’s old news. And I was like wait, no that’s new news. So I rushed over and I just can’t believe it. Same landlord. […] How is that even possible?”
“The buildings in Old Montreal need a different approach. The firefighters, they do their job. So the norms, they need to change. They need to evolve. They need to be more safe for the residents and for the neighbourhood,” added Ham.
Montreal police launch special investigation, urge public for information
According to a press release from Montreal police, a special investigation structure, FILET 4, has been established. The measure is applied in circumstances that require the deployment of “extraordinary investigative resources.”
SPVM anticipate that there may be more victims and are urging anyone with information about a loved one to reach out.
If you think a loved one might have been in the building, please call 514-280-1294.
Anyone with information regarding the fire are encouraged to contact police.
Several streets have been closed to traffic by the SPVM near Montreal City Hall to allow firefighters to do their work. The public is asked to avoid the area. Power outages are also possible in the vicinity.
–With files from Sidhartha Banerjee, The Canadian Press
