The fire in the vacant heritage building in Old Montreal belonging to real estate giant Shiller Lavy Inc. was brought under control at dawn on Saturday. The Montreal City Police Service (SPVM) opened an investigation to try to find out the cause of the blaze. Dozens of firefighters were mobilized on Friday evening, and losses amounted to several million dollars.
No one was injured in this major fire, which is reminiscent of the one that ravaged another heritage building in Old Montreal last March, killing seven people.
Friday evening around 8 p.m., firefighters were called to rue Notre-Dame Ouest, at the corner of rue Saint-Henri, for a fire in a vacant building. Nearly 150 firefighters were mobilized to deal with the flames. Since no one was found inside the premises, firefighters attacked the blaze from the outside, in order to protect adjacent buildings.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
By midnight, the flames were under control, but the fire had not yet been officially declared “controlled.” It was at 5 a.m. Saturday morning, The Press Stéphanie Lorrain, head of the prevention section at the Montreal Fire Safety Service (SIM).
The facade of the heritage-listed building has been preserved, said Mme Lorraine. However, the rest of the building is a total loss, she added.
According to the City of Montreal’s property assessment roll, this building belongs to the Shiller Lavy Inc. group, a major player in the real estate sector in Montreal. It was valued at nearly $2.5 million in 2021. Contacted by email, the company did not respond to The Press at the time these lines were written.
An explosion before the flames?
An investigation was opened to try to understand the causes of the fire, considered suspicious. Friday evening, neighborhood residents told The Press having heard an explosion before the fire started. “It made a big bang,” said Jia, met in the street while she was waiting for news from the firefighters to find out if she could return to her home.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
The SIM was unable to provide more information on Saturday morning on this explosion heard by the neighborhood.
On Saturday, a security perimeter was established on the scene and SPVM investigators were dispatched to the site. In the morning, engineers had to assess the structure of the building before allowing specialists to enter, said Jeanne Drouin, SPVM publicist.
In the meantime, investigators were able to begin viewing surveillance camera footage and speaking with witnesses.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
This event must have stirred up sad memories among some residents of the area, since another major fire that occurred a few blocks away, on the night of March 16, had claimed the lives of seven people, leaving many families in mourning.
The man suspected of starting this fire has a serious criminal past and was on the run following his escape from a penitentiary at the time of the tragedy, revealed The Press in a report published this week.
With the collaboration of Vincent Larin, The Press