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MONTREAL – An unspecified number of people died in a large fire in Old Montreal on Friday, police said, in a building owned by a man whose other property in the same neighborhood went up in flames last year, killing seven.
A police source who spoke to The Canadian Press on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak publicly said at least two people died in the early morning fire, but officials would not confirm that number. .
Inspector. David Shane told a news conference, “we expect fatalities,” based on testimony from first responders and witnesses police spoke to. He added that investigators had not yet been able to enter the three-storey building which houses a restaurant on the ground floor and a 19-room hostel above.
Major crimes detectives and the arson squad were set to begin a lengthy investigation into the fire, which Shane described as “suspicious.”
“Our hearts go out to the families of the victims and we are assured that every effort is being made to solve this case,” he said.
The fire started on the ground floor of the building shortly before 2:40am and quickly spread to the second and third floors. Two people were injured, and one of them was taken to hospital with serious injuries, Shane added. Several people managed to escape unharmed.
“We cannot at this time confirm the number of deaths or their identities, and investigators are also continuing to determine exactly how many people were in the building when the fire started,” he said.
About 125 firefighters were dispatched to the scene, and smoke could be seen billowing from the building for several blocks in Old Montreal. About two and a half hours after firefighters began to knock back the flames, the building partially collapsed.
City of Montreal property records say the Notre-Dame Street East building was built in 1923 and was owned by Emile Benamor. He is also listed as the owner of a nearby heritage building on Place D’Youville which was ravaged by fire in March 2023, resulting in the deaths of seven people. All but one victim was staying in short term rentals.
A number of lawsuits were filed stemming from that fatal fire, and the coroner’s inquest ordered into the fire has been adjourned pending the conclusion of the police investigation and any possible criminal trials. Shane said the police had submitted the results of their investigation to the Crown.
Alexandre Bergevin, a lawyer representing Benamor, told The Canadian Press that his client had no comment on the fire in Notre-Dame Street. On the ground floor of the building was 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 booking.com website, bookings for the hostel were suspended on Friday.
Fire department chief Martin Guilbault said the hostel was a 19-room establishment that occupied the top two floors. The building has been the subject of numerous reports and investigations in the media. The Journal de Montreal visited the site in 2023 and reported a number of failures. People who stayed at the hostel had also left complaints on various websites about the poor condition of the units.
Guilbault said Friday that inspectors cited several fire code violations in 2023, but he said they have all been corrected.
“In the spring of 2023, formal notices for major non-compliance were sent to the owner of that building. We are talking about the absence of a fire alarm system and the absence of smoke alarm(s),” said Guilbault. “By the spring of 2024, all non-conformities related to the formal notice had been rectified and as far as the (department) was concerned, the building was considered safe.”
Fire department officials said fires in the city’s historic district are complicated, in part because streets are narrow and buildings are bordered in a row.
Nancy Drummond, 35, said she lives a few units away from where the fire started. She said she was told by a neighbor in the middle of the night to leave immediately, and could see flames coming from the restaurant. She managed to grab her shoes and little else.
“There was a boom, something that created our building,” Drummond said. “I looked outside and I see the fire department, fire trucks, and then my neighbor immediately knocked (to leave).”
The Mayor of Montreal, Valérie Plante, visited the site late Friday afternoon and pointed out the similarities – and differences – with the 2023 fire at the other Benamor building.
“What it looks like is that we have the same owner – it’s pretty impressive,” Plante said. “The second element which is similar is that a criminal investigation is underway in both cases now.”
The difference, he said, is that the fire department worked with the building that caught fire on Friday to ensure it complied with fire codes. “I really want to reassure everyone that all the light will be shed” on the fire, Plante said.
Montreal police have a phone number set aside for families and relatives of Notre Dame Street fire victims seeking information: 514-280-1294.
This report was first published by The Canadian Press on October 4, 2024.
Note to readers: This is a corrected story. According to a previous version, the police said that three people were injured. In fact, the police said that two people were injured.
(Except translation, this story has not been edited by achinews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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