The last two bodies recovered from the rubble of the Old Montreal fire have been identified and the search for other potential victims has officially ended, authorities announced on Tuesday afternoon.
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The two remains recovered Monday morning are those of Charlie Lacroix and his friend Walid Belkahla, both 18 years old.
They were in a windowless Airbnb when the fire broke out. They called 911 to report they were stuck in one of the apartments, but the line suddenly dropped during their second call.
In a press briefing on Tuesday afternoon, the emergency services announced that the search for victims had been completed. Moreover, on the site of the fire, we could see several Montreal firefighters recovering their equipment and preparing to pack up.
Photo taken from Facebook
Charlie Lacroix
According to the official report of firefighters and police, 22 people were inside the heritage residential building when the fire started, early in the morning of March 16: six escaped unscathed, nine were injured – some more seriously than others – and seven lost their lives.
Six people were saved in extremis by the first firefighters who arrived on the scene using portable and aerial ladders.
One person survived but was injured when he jumped from a window to escape the flames.
The cause of the violent blaze has still not been established and remains under investigation. Authorities have refused to comment on the possible origin of the violent fire. But we assure that we will go “to the end of this investigation”.
“It’s a long-term job and you have to work sparingly,” said Martin Guilbault, division chief at the Montreal Fire Department.
The fire in Old Montreal was the deadliest of the last 48 years in the metropolis.
In 1975, the arson attack on the Gargantua bar, on rue Beaubien, killed 13 people. Three years earlier, a fire started by a criminal hand at the Blue Bird bar had killed 37 people and injured dozens.
Identities of the victims of the Old Montreal fire
- Camille Maheux, 76 years old
- An Wu, 31 years old
- Dania Zafar, 31 years old
- Saniya Khan, 31 years old
- Nathan Sears, 35
- Charlie Lacroix, 18 years old
- Walid Belkahla, 18 years old