A bad thing never comes alone. Sixteen owners of Saint-Jérôme whose building was in such bad shape thatthey had to evacuate it in december have just seen it go up in smoke.
• Read also: No help from the City of Saint-Jérôme for the 48 owners in trouble
As of 5 a.m. Friday morning, a major fire broke out at 620 Castonguay Street. By 11 a.m., the building was in ruins.
Firefighters responded quickly on Friday morning.
photo marie-claire lahiton
“The investigation has been entrusted to the police because it is a suspicious fire,” said Louis Boucher, Chief of Operations of the St-Jérôme Fire Department.
photo marie-claire lahiton
He explains that the fire started on the ground floor and quickly reached the roof in less than 30 minutes.
“We don’t know if there were any accelerants present, but something happened. It was not a smoker’s article that set the fire, that’s for sure, ”continues the firefighter.
No one was inside at the time of the fire, as the building was no longer inhabited.
The case is now in the hands of investigators from the St-Jérôme Police Department.
second nightmare
The fire in the building is another nightmare for the 16 co-owners who have already suffered.
“We are helpless,” breathes Manon Grimmard, her voice tied with emotion. She is the owner of one of the 16 condos razed by the flames and also treasurer of the condominium association of the building.
The destroyed building is identical to two others that surround it. The newspaper reported, last October, the situation of the 48 owners who lost everything because of a contractor who cut corners during construction 30 years ago.
The buildings have been so badly built that they have become dangerous. The structure of the buildings is rotten by water, in particular.
620 Castonguay Street had been evacuated since last December and only 600 Castonguay Street is still inhabited.
A source tells us that 12 out of the 16 homeowners at 640 Castonguay Street have already filed for bankruptcy due to the loss of their homes.