Canada- 6 people missing, 9 injured, in blaze that destroyed heritage building in Old Montreal, 16 March 2023 *possible arson*

[dotr]

Six missing after blaze destroyed Old Montreal building, fire officials say

Montreal fire officials now say at least six people are missing after a blaze destroyed a building in the city's historic district Thursday.

www.cp24.com

''Montreal fire officials now say at least six people are missing after a blaze destroyed a building in the city's historic district Thursday.

Investigators initially said one person was believed to be missing in the fire that also injured another nine people.

"The information confirmed in the last few hours, from various sources, allows us to believe that there may be victims inside the debris," Montreal fire operations chief Martin Guilbault said Saturday.''

''The cause of the fire remains unknown, and Guilbault told reporters that the investigation is being led by the Montreal police arson squad.

Fire officials said two of the nine injured people suffered serious burns and remain in hospital.

During the evacuation, six people had to be rescued from the three-storey building by ladder.

On Saturday, firefighters were still unable to enter the building that housed an architectural firm and residences.

"At this time, it is not possible to conduct a safe search in the building, which must first be secured," Guilbault said.''

''Belzil was not able to confirm whether the six missing people were tenants of the building or tourists staying in a short-term rental.''

 

[dotr]

'Worst thing to go through as a parent': Father of missing daughter staying at site of Old Montreal fire

Police say six people remain unaccounted for after the major fire that ripped through a historic building in Old Montreal. Members of the Montreal fire department (SSIM) held a news conference on Saturday morning and confirmed that Montreal police (SPVM) is still investigating the fire.

montreal.ctvnews.ca

''Worst thing to go through as a parent': Father of missing daughter staying at site of Old Montreal fire''​

''One of those people is 18-year-old Charlie Lacroix from Terrebonne, just north of Montreal.

"A friend of my daughter told us that she was there the night before, so we went to the police station and found out she had placed two calls at 911 in a period of three minutes saying that they couldn't get out because they were no windows in the room," her father Louis-Philippe Lacroix said.''

''Another of the missing people is 75-year-old photographer Camille Mahuex.''

 

[nhmemorymaker]

Another article...
Such a horrible situation........

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/old-montreal-heritage-building-fire-missing-people-1.6783492

 

[dotr]

Another article...
Such a horrible situation........

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/old-montreal-heritage-building-fire-missing-people-1.6783492

From the link, simply heartbreaking..rbbm

"She was a happy little girl — beautiful and happy," said Robert Lacas through tears.

He said all he knows to date about what happened to his granddaughter is what he says a police source told him.

"[Police] received a first call from my little girl who said 'come and get us because there are no windows where we are, we can't get out and the fire is burning,'" said Lacas.

He said three minutes later, police received another call from Lacroix saying the same thing. "And then the phone cut out," he said, breaking into tears. ''

 

[ifindedout]

Location, 224 Place d'Youville.

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.com

 

[Happypetitvieux01]

"Police say the number of people missing has risen from six to seven after a massive fire ripped through a historic building in Old Montreal on Thursday.

Work to partially dismantle the building will begin Sunday morning, said police and fire officials in an address to the media Saturday night.

They believe victims will be found in the rubble.

The second and third floors of the 15-unit building on Place d'Youville will be torn down “stone by stone,” said Montreal fire operations chief Martin Guilbault.

Firefighters have not yet been able to enter the building due to safety concerns."

Number of people missing following Old Montreal fire rises to seven

Police say the number of people missing has risen from six to seven after a massive fire ripped through a historic building in Old Montreal on Thursday.

montreal.ctvnews.ca

 

[Happypetitvieux01]

"Crews are going to start slowly taking down a building in Montreal's historic district this morning where at least seven people are missing after a fire on Thursday.

Investigators initially said one person was believed to be missing in the fire that also injured another nine people.

But fire operations chief Martin Guilbault says information received yesterday leads them to believe there may be victims inside the debris.

Guilbault says the building will be taken down stone-by-stone, to make sure that the environment inside is safe for firefighters and police to do their work."
...

"Officials say there was some confusion over how many people were inside the Old Montreal building at the time of the fire, because several apartments were Airbnb rentals."

One dead, six remain missing as police search for victims of fire in Old Montreal

One person has been confirmed dead and six people remain missing as police continue to search for victims after a fire swept through a building in Old Montreal on Thursday.

montreal.ctvnews.ca

 

[Happypetitvieux01]

Google Translate

"During the day, 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."
...
"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."

Fire in Old Montreal: Demolition is about to begin

Incendie dans le Vieux-Montréal | La démolition s’apprête à commencer

La façade de l’immeuble ravagé par les flammes trois jours plus tôt dans le Vieux-Montréal s’apprêtait à être démontée dimanche, afin de permettre la recherche des personnes manquant à l’appel.

www.lapresse.ca

 

[scriabina]

Those people renting out Airbnb rooms with no windows and no authorization should be sued.

 

[Happypetitvieux01]

Those people renting out Airbnb rooms with no windows and no authorization should be sued.

In same news report

"UNAUTHORIZED AIRBNB UNITS
Some of the apartments were Airbnb units, police confirmed on Saturday.
Montreal bylaws require building owners to acquire a classification certificate for short-term rentals such as Airbnb.
Montreal city councillor Alain Vaillancourt is responsible for public security, and he said there were no certificates issued for the building in question.
"There's only a certain sector here in Ville Marie you can have Airbnbs on Saint Catherine [Street]; this is not one of them," said Vaillancourt. "Ville Marie never received a request for a permit for an Airbnb here, and there were never complaints of an Airbnb in this building."

Number of people missing following Old Montreal fire rises to seven

Police say the number of people missing has risen from six to seven after a massive fire ripped through a historic building in Old Montreal on Thursday.

montreal.ctvnews.ca

Illegal Airbnb by Montreal bylaws, units not up to date with Quebec Construction Code requirements, several victims and people injuried, we are in for many investigations by the authorities.

 

[dotr]

With 7 people now missing, arson squad set to investigate Old Montreal blaze

More people may be missing, but police can’t enter the building because it is too unstable. The facade will be dismantled stone by stone starting Sunday.

montrealgazette.com

''With seven people now missing, the police arson squad is investigating a fire that tore through an Old Montreal building Thursday. But, first, the facade of the structure will have to be dismantled stone by stone, officials said Saturday night.''

Asked if more people could be missing, Belzil said the police are still gathering information. “That is a possibility,” he added.

Belzil said the building’s owner has helped police determine the layout of the apartments.
City of Montreal tax records indicate the building is owned by Emile Benamore. The city assessed the value at $3.7 million.
Some of the apartments were being rented out as Airbnbs, Belzil said.''

The building, which was heavily damaged by the fire, had 15 residential units, with an architect’s office on the ground floor.

When firefighters arrived Thursday morning, flames were coming out of the windows and people were trapped near windows and on the roof. At least one person jumped from a second-storey window.

It took 130 firefighters nearly four hours to get the fire under control.''

 

[LadyL]

so sad and disturbing

 

[annpats]

Those people renting out Airbnb rooms with no windows and no authorization should be sued.

Jailed!

 

[Happypetitvieux01]

"The body of one victim has been recovered from the rubble of an Old Montreal heritage building ravaged by fire on Thursday, while six other people are still missing, officials said at a news conference Sunday night.

This is the first confirmed death since the blaze, which tore through the three-storey, 15-unit residential building at the intersection of Place d'Youville and Saint-Nicolas Street.

Steve Belzil, commander of the Montreal police arson squad, said the victim's body was pulled from the rubble at 6:45 p.m. local time."

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/victim-pulled-from-fire-old-montreal-1.6784205

 

[Happypetitvieux01]

"Officials are still looking for victims after a fire ripped through a building in Old Montreal last week, killing at least one person.

At a press conference Monday morning, spokespersons for the Montreal police (SPVM) and Montreal fire department (SIM) said six people are still missing. They come from various locations in Quebec, Ontario and the U.S.

"These people still missing are probably still in the rubble, unfortunately," said SPVM inspector David Shane.

Rescuers extracted one body from the building around 6:45 p.m. on Sunday. Officials could not confirm the victim's identity Monday morning but revealed she was a woman."

6 missing after Old Montreal fire 'probably still in the rubble': Police

Officials are still looking for victims after a fire ripped through a building in Old Montreal last week, killing at least one person. At a press conference Monday morning, spokespersons for the Montreal police and Montreal fire department said six people are still missing. They come from...

montreal.ctvnews.ca

 

[dotr]

rbbm.

'Everything stopped the night of the fire' in Old Montreal, investigator says

The body of a woman has been retrieved. There are six more people missing, from Quebec, Ontario and the United States.

montrealgazette.com

“The result of the different steps we took in the investigation point out that these people who are still missing are probably in the rubble, unfortunately,” Shane said. “We worked with the (building) owner, we worked with cyber investigation, we looked at social media, we looked at cellphones, and when we add all this information together, everything stopped the night of the fire.”

The victims are from Quebec, Ontario and the United States.

Nine people were injured in the fire, which broke out at 5:45 a.m. Thursday. It took 130 firefighters several hours to get the blaze under control, and about a day to put it out completely.

Montreal police chief Fady Dagher called the first firefighters who arrived on the scene Thursday heroes.

“They saved many lives,” he said Monday, adding that police don’t know for sure how many people were inside the building at the time of the fire.''

 

[Happypetitvieux01]

Incendie dans le Vieux-Montréal Une universitaire des États-Unis parmi les disparus​

Google translate

Fire in Old Montreal An academic from the United States among the missing

"The colleagues of An Wu, an American academic who came to attend a conference in Montreal, find it hard to believe that the "brilliant and dynamic" thirty-year-old disappeared in the fatal fire that occurred last Thursday in the Old Port. The victim's family is wondering about the causes of this tragedy, says a close friend."​

"Ms. Wu's friends had not heard from them since Thursday, reports Enida Gjoni, a colleague of the victim at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). The two postdocs had been working together on a daily basis since 2016. An Wu will leave a huge void, she says about the 31-year-old researcher, who immigrated from China to the United States to continue her studies. “She was a brilliant, intelligent woman. But she was also dynamic and human. »"
...

"The last messages sent by An Wu to his relatives date from Thursday evening around 2 a.m. She didn't go out, recalls Ms. Gjoni. “She liked the apartment, she told us that she was going to spend the evening alone in front of Netflix”

The parents of the young woman deserve to know what happened to their daughter, believes her colleague, in contact with the family of the victim in China. They cannot travel to Canada since they do not have a visa. “Nothing is going to bring An back to them. But we hope for answers from the police, the government and the owner. »"

 

[Happypetitvieux01]

Airbnb criticized after 1 killed, 6 missing after Montreal building destroyed by fire​

"Quebec politicians criticized short-term rental company Airbnb on Monday for failing to be a proper corporate citizen, after a building used for illegal rentals was ravaged by a fire that killed one and left at least six missing under the rubble.

Firefighters have said that several apartments in the building located in Old Montreal were being used as Airbnb rentals, and police have said that they didn’t know how many of the missing were tourists.

Yukun Zeng, rushed to Montreal from Boston when he heard of the fire. His long-time friend and former girlfriend of seven years, An Wu, was staying in the heritage building when it was ravaged by flames.

“She actually came here for a conference for neuroscience,” he said, adding she wanted to stay an extra night to see the city.

The accomplished scientist, originally from China, had been living and studying in the United States for a decade.

According to Zeng, she was last heard from a few hours before the fire broke out and now her family is desperate for news.

“You know in China is the single child policy,” he said, “so An is the only daughter.”
...

"San Francisco-based Airbnb is “washing its hands” of the problem of illegal rentals in cities across the province, Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante told reporters outside the historic three-storey building. She said the company, which operates an online marketplace for short-term rentals, should ensure people listing their properties on the website have proper permits.

“Short-term rental platforms cannot just say that they are the ‘housing marketplace’ and then wash their hands of it afterwards,” Plante said. “If they want to be responsible corporate citizens, they have to help us enforce Quebec law and borough regulations.”

“It’s not normal to have a business that doesn’t worry about the legitimacy of the people who do business with it, and who puts the responsibility on municipal and provincial instances — so taxpayers pay. When you think about it, it’s totally absurd.”

 

[Happypetitvieux01]

'I have lost everything,' says father of woman missing after Old Montreal fire​

"Last week, An Wu attended a conference in Montreal and decided to stay an extra day to tour the city.

Wu rented an Airbnb unit in Old Montreal, and the last time her loved ones heard from her was on Wednesday night, according to her friend, Pantong Yao.

"We cannot find her," Yao told CBC News in a video call.

And Yao is not alone. Zafar Mahmood, speaking to CBC news from Pakistan, said his daughter, Dania Zafar, is missing as well.

"She has been very close to me. For me, this is the end of the world. I have lost everything."

Wu and Zafar are among those missing after a fire ripped through a heritage building in Old Montreal early Thursday morning.
...

"Mahmood said Dania arrived in Montreal last Wednesday as a quick overnight getaway with her childhood friend. He spoke to her that very night. (...)

The Mahmood family began to worry when Dania, 32, wasn't answering her phone. They had a friend check her Toronto apartment, but she wasn't there. Finally, the family decided to file a missing person's report and that's when a Montreal detective got in touch with them.

"I think she was at the wrong place at the wrong time with all the odds against her," said Mahmood."
...

"Dania was in Montreal with her friend, Saniya Mazhar Khan, 31, who was visiting from Detroit.

The two met in Pakistan when they were around 10, according to Saniya's father, Mazhar Khan.

They were working on a novel together and shared many things in common, said Khan." (...)

"Khan came to Montreal as soon as he heard about the fire, saw the rubble and went back home to attend to his family because, he explained, it was clear his daughter had been buried in the collapsed structure.

He is returning to Montreal this week, determined not to leave the city without her."

 

[Happypetitvieux01]

DBM (double entry)