A first body was extricated from the rubble of the heritage building ravaged by a fire last Thursday in Old Montreal. Six people are still missing as demolition work on the building began on Sunday.
As of 9 p.m. Sunday evening, the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) was unable to confirm the age, gender or location of the victim in the building.
“The steps to identify this victim will be taken by our partner, the Laboratory of Forensic Sciences and Forensic Medicine (LSJML)”, was limited to saying the SPVM’s arson commander, Steve Belzil, during a point of view. press late in the evening.
The facade of the building ravaged by flames three days earlier in Old Montreal began to be dismantled on Sunday, in order to allow the search for the missing people.
On Sunday morning, investigators from the arson squad of the Montreal Police Department, installed on a basket, photographed the scene.
The bricks of the facade will be removed one by one. “Since the building is heritage, the bricks must be kept,” said SPVM spokesperson Jean-Pierre Brabant. The demolition could take several days or even weeks.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
The demolition of the facade of the building ravaged by flames in Old Montreal could take several days, even weeks.
The firefighters will be able to begin the search for people still missing. Until now, firefighters could not enter the scene of the fire due to concerns about the condition of the building’s structure. “There is no longer a roof, so it became dangerous and risky for the staff to go inside,” said Mr. Brabant.
“The dismantling of the building is required to provide safe access to the fire scene for SPVM investigators, fire safety service responders and LSJML people,” summed up the SIM division chief, Martin Guilbault
Enlarged perimeter
To ensure the safety of pedestrians, the perimeter surrounding the stage was extended on Sunday. An area reserved for families of missing persons has also been set up.
Tents were also deployed by the Montreal Fire Safety Service (SIM) to “offer work and rehabilitation spaces” to responders called to work on the scene, said SIM division chief Martin Guilbault. .
Tourists who had rented apartments on the Airbnb platform, which is not authorized in this area of the metropolis, were in the building at the time of the fire, confirmed on Saturday the arson commander of the SPVM, Steve Belzil.
A total of nine people were taken to hospital, and two of them are still hospitalized with serious burns, Belzil said on Saturday. A firefighter was also injured while battling the blaze after receiving a victim’s blood in the eye.
The cause of the fire has still not been determined. “We are still under investigation,” said Mr. Belzil.
With Lea Carrier, The Press