In this article, you will get all information regarding Fifth fire victim’s body removed from debris of Old Montreal building

Four bodies had already been found earlier this week. Two other people are still missing.

Published Mar 25, 2023  •  Last updated 8 minutes ago  •  1 minute read

Montreal firefighter and a member of the demolition crew are hoisted on a work platform at the scene of the aftermath of fire in Old Montreal on March 22, 2023.
Montreal firefighter and a member of the demolition crew are hoisted on a work platform at the scene of the aftermath of fire in Old Montreal on March 22, 2023. Photo by Pierre Obendrauf /Montreal Gazette

The body of a fifth victim was extricated late Saturday afternoon from the rubble of the building in Old Montreal destroyed by fire more than a week ago.

Members of the Montreal fire department’s technical rescue group made the discovery as they continue their search inside the building based on sketches of the structure and information gathered by police officers, said Véronique Dubuc, a Montreal police spokesperson.

The body was entrusted to the Laboratory of Forensic Sciences and Forensic Medicine to proceed with the identification of the person.

Four bodies had already been found earlier this week. Two other people are still missing. Testimonials from former tenants and victims of the building in Old Montreal destroyed by the March 16 fire have raised questions about the safety of the premises.

Police and firefighters say it is still too early to determine the cause of the fire. However, witnesses spoke of faulty smoke detectors and a lack of emergency exits.

The William-Watson-Ogilvie Building was built in 1890 and originally housed the offices of a flour company. It was gradually converted into housing between the end of the 1960s and the 1980s, with an architecture firm remaining on the ground floor.

Louis-Philippe Lacroix said his 18-year-old daughter, Charlie, presumed missing in the fire, called 911 twice within minutes to say she was unable to get out of the unit she was staying in, as there was no window or emergency exit.

A fire survivor, Alina Kuzmina, said although the unit she rented with her husband in the semi-basement had fire alarms, she does not recall hearing them go off. Kuzmina was able to escape from the building by breaking a window.

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Fifth fire victim’s body removed from debris of Old Montreal building

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