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) has launched 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 blaze that ravaged another heritage building in Old Montreal last March, killing seven people.
Friday evening around 8 p.m., firefighters were called to Notre-Dame Street West, at the corner of Saint-Henri Street, for a fire in a vacant building. Nearly 150 firefighters were mobilized to deal with the flames. Since no one had been located inside the premises, firefighters attacked the blaze from the outside, aiming to protect adjacent buildings.
By midnight, the flames were under control, although the blaze had not yet been officially declared “controlled.” The fire was over 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, specifies Mme Lorraine. However, the rest of the building is a total loss, she adds.
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 has been launched to try to understand the causes of the fire, which is 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 still waiting for news from the firefighters to find out if she could return to her home.
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 must evaluate the structure of the building before allowing specialists to enter, said Jeanne Drouin, public relations officer for the SPVM.
In the meantime, investigators were able to begin viewing surveillance cameras and speaking with witnesses.
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 Vincent Larin, The Press