Saint-Roch-de-l’Achigan will take a long time to recover from the fire and explosions that blew up Propane Lafortune’s buildings on Thursday. Even before the search begins, the citizens, but especially the relatives of the victims, still do not manage to realize what has just happened. A “great mourning” begins, and a commemorative mass will be celebrated this Sunday.
“Céline was an exceptional woman, a wonderful person. Everyone loved him at L’Épiphanie and Saint-Roch. We are all appalled, ”says Germain Latendresse, the uncle of Céline Pilon, in all likelihood one of the victims of the tragedy.
According to our information, the first two victims were Céline Pilon and France Desrosiers, who both worked as secretaries. The third, a man, was doing work for the company. Officially, the Sûreté du Québec (SQ), however, has not confirmed the identity of the missing persons. Unlike Thursday and Friday, no press briefing was also scheduled for Saturday, preliminary work still continuing for the start of research.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Sûreté du Québec vehicles in front of Propane Lafortune, in Saint-Roch-de-l’Achigan
France Desrosiers “was also the wife of one of my nephews”, slips Mr. Latendresse, still in shock. “It’s scary, it’s a disaster,” continues the bereaved man.
On social networks, the tributes are numerous. Line Pilon, cousin of Céline Pilon, paid tribute to her on her Facebook page. “I was brought up with my cousins and my cousin who lived next door. We played in the same yard and my memories of Céline are her beautiful long hair, her slender waist and that smile. She was so beautiful. I know that all those who had the privilege of knowing her are now experiencing great mourning, ”she wrote, with emotion.
The City of Saint-Roch-de-l’Achigan announced on Saturday that as a sign of solidarity, a commemorative mass would be celebrated on Sunday at the church, for “all the people affected directly or indirectly by the tragedy occurred on Thursday. “We thank all Quebecers for their outpouring of solidarity with the municipality. It touches me a lot, ”said the mayor of the municipality, Sébastien Marcil, on Friday.
“We saw the debris falling from the sky”
Jean-Luc Faille was among the first to call for help after the first explosion, Thursday around 11 a.m. A fire had spread in the gas depot belonging to Propane Lafortune, causing explosions. The building was completely destroyed.
“We thought a plane had fallen on the roof of the garage. Once outside, we saw the debris falling from the sky. The building was literally cut in two. We knew instantly that there were dead people. It is troubling. It is a tragic accident. It goes through my head often. I’ve never experienced anything like that, ”says the native of Repentigny, who has been working in the municipality for a year.
A whole section of my adolescence has just left. I will never see that again. But it will stay in my memory, that’s for sure.
Sylvain Tourangeau, who had worked at the factory in his youth
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Sylvain Tourangeau
The man started working for three summers in the now destroyed factory, when he was only 15 years old. At the time, “the company that owned it was called Transports Belanger et frères, it was good people,” says the man who now lives in Ottawa.
Coming to Saint-Roch-de-l’Achigan for personal reasons, the one who was born in the region said he was devastated by the tragedy. “I feel so sorry for the community. It’s a real tragedy for [les habitants], for families. It touches me especially for them, who are directly affected. Me, personally, I saw the garage being built. Being here is quite emotional this morning, ”continues Mr. Tourangeau, while the police are busy behind him securing the scene, blocking all access to the site.
Not far from there, Réal Lamarche, who lives one kilometer from the stage, was doing his daily walk when The Press the encounter. “The morning it happened, I came here as I do every day, maybe a quarter of an hour before the explosion,” he explains.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Real Lamarche
“When I got home, my daughter explained everything to me. It’s sad and it’s devastating. It’s so unfortunate. It’s a small municipality and that shouldn’t happen, those things. But we are never safe from all that, ”he sighs.
For Mr. Lamarche, the hardest part is the “waiting” for news and additional information, as several security works must first be done before starting the search, in order to check in particular whether various propane products are present. or not.
“We don’t know what will happen. We learn that it can be long, because it’s complicated and there’s the environment. It’s really tricky. The families waiting for this… I sincerely hope that they will recover from this, but I am not sure that it can really be”, he concludes.