A mother and her daughter died in the fire that raged in Old Montreal, the Montreal Police Service (SPVM) announced on Saturday.
Léonor Geraudie, 43, and her daughter, Vérane Reynaud Geraudie, 7, originally from France, perished in the blaze which broke out around 2:40 a.m. Friday, in a three-story building located on rue Notre- Dame Est, near rue Bonsecours.
The coroner responsible for the investigation, Géhane Kamel, and the Laboratory of Judicial Sciences and Forensic Medicine confirmed the identification of the victims.
“Our investigators are in contact with the family in France and their loved ones, and they continue to work to reconstruct the event,” said David Shane, communications manager at the SPVM, during a press briefing Saturday afternoon. Information from the police suggests that there are no additional victims in the rubble of the fire.
Mr Shane said 25 people were believed to have been in the building where the fire broke out, and 23 people had been found. Of the latter, two were injured. One of the injured was taken to hospital and is still receiving treatment.
The victim and family support center is still in place. Anyone concerned that a loved one may have been inside the building can contact 514-280-1294, a telephone line available 24 hours a day.
Mr. Shane said the Major Crime Section, in collaboration with the Arson Unit, is continuing the investigation.
“Having officially taken charge of the premises today [samedi]investigators will be able to begin the detailed work of investigating the crime scene. Work to secure the scene is underway, with the help of an engineer and a team from the City of Montreal,” said the SPVM communications manager.
He added that the police force will not release information on the possible causes of the fire or the search for suspects at this time, so as not to harm the investigation.
On the social network
“The police department opened a major criminal investigation (Friday) and all leads will be considered. I am confident that the determination of the investigators will shed light on this tragedy,” she wrote.
A compliant building, says the SIM
Alongside Mr. Shane during Saturday’s press briefing, Martin Guilbault, head of operations for the Montreal Fire Safety Service (SIM), indicated that the building in which the fire raged was compliant.
“The SIM obtained confirmation on September 10, 2024 from the responsible professional that sprinklers are not required for this building,” indicated Mr. Guilbault.
The operations manager recalled that windows do not constitute a means of egress in terms of fire safety, but that there were windows in each of the rooms in the building, with the exception of one place.
“It is a specificity in relation to the code that we are in the process of verifying, in relation to the exceptions which can be put in place,” he explained.
Firefighters worked more than 24 hours on the response to the fire, which ended Saturday afternoon. The fire was brought under control between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. in the early morning.
Several people were able to escape unhurt from the building which houses a restaurant on the ground floor and a 19-room hotel on the second and third floors. The Red Cross went to the scene to offer assistance to the victims.
Mr. Guilbault said that the firefighters had to deal with a “chaotic situation” when they arrived. They had to make two rescues at the start of the intervention.
With information from Frédéric Lacroix-Couture