(Montreal) A ceremonial event aimed at marking the 50e anniversary of one of the worst tragedies to have occurred in Montreal in the last century will take place this Thursday, downtown.
Posted at 6:25 a.m.
1er September 1972, an arson attack at the Blue Bird Cabaret building on Union Street left 37 dead and 51 injured. The building housed the Wagon Wheel cabaret upstairs.
That evening, men who had been denied access to the already crowded premises returned with a can of gasoline which they emptied into the stairwell before throwing a match there.
The fire spread rapidly, blocking the main entrance to the building while the emergency exit was locked.
Panic seized the crowd, everyone desperately trying to flee the place in the grip of the flames.
The three arsonists, who were later arrested, were all sentenced to life in prison, but were granted parole.
In 2012, a memorial plaque bearing the names of the 37 people who died was unveiled in Phillips Square, near where the Blue Bird was located.
The commemoration will take place at Phillips Square on Thursday at 11 a.m., in the presence of members of the families of the victims, the mayor of Montreal, Valérie Plante, the honor guard of the Montreal Fire Department (SSIM). and the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) and a few guests.