The number of victims of the fire that ravaged a heritage building in Old Montreal last Thursday could be higher than anticipated until now, while searches continue Wednesday in another sector of the building.
The body of a second victim was extricated from the rubble of the three-story building on Tuesday, around 5:25 p.m. It was then entrusted to the Laboratory of Forensic Sciences and Forensic Medicine, which will identify this person. , whose genus and origin are unknown at this time.
“It is not possible to provide you with an estimate of the time that will be required before the identity of the victims who have been found is communicated to you,” Inspector David Shane of the City of Montreal (SPVM), during a press briefing held inside the large perimeter surrounding the site of the fire, which occurred at the corner of rue du Port and place D’Youville. He then recalled that a scientific method of identification must be carried out on the bodies and that all the “expertises” must have been completed before the families of the victims are contacted by the police.
“We are aware that the current wait can be difficult for families, particularly each time the discovery of a new victim is announced in the rubble. But investigators are maintaining contact with the families,” Mr Shane continued.
After the discovery of a second body in the rubble on Tuesday, five people are now still missing. “But we cannot exclude that we find other victims of the tragedy,” noted the SPVM spokesperson. The missing persons would come from Quebec, Ontario and the United States in particular.
As for the cause of the fire, it remains unknown.
Research continues
SPVM investigators and Montreal firefighters will continue their search on Wednesday in another section of the building that has not yet been scrutinized. In order to prevent responders from risking their lives digging through the rubble of the building, the structure of which could collapse at any moment, a specialized camera, a nacelle, a crane and a drone were used in the last days to scrutinize the interior of the building.
Pieces of the structure were also gradually removed on Tuesday, which led to the discovery of a second victim. As for today, “we have a plan to remove the two chimneys that are still standing in order to secure the workplaces and prevent them from collapsing on the workers during the search”, indicated the chief. of the division of the Montreal Fire Department (SIM), Martin Guilbault.
Ultimately, the latter foresees that investigators and firefighters will have access to “all parts of the building”. “But you have to go very methodically. So yeah, it’s going to take a while,” he continued, nearly a week after the fire. The objective of this meticulous and patient work is to avoid endangering the lives of police officers and firefighters, he recalled.
The SIM is also currently trying to collect information “concerning the inspections [en matière de prévention des incendies ] that would have been made in that building” in recent years. “We are collecting this information. »
The City of Montreal has still not responded to a request from Le Devoir, dated Monday, concerning the inspections carried out in this building and the permits granted in recent years to its owner, Emile-Haim Benamor.
Tuesday, at the National Assembly, Prime Minister François Legault and Minister of Tourism Caroline Proulx both raised questions about the state in which this building was at the time of the fire. “Whether Quebecers or visitors who were in that building, if there are standards that were not sufficient, it’s serious,” dropped Mr. Legault.