Old Montreal fire under investigation
A major fire that broke out early Friday on Notre‑Dame in Old Montreal is under investigation as one person is in hospital and 40 people were evacuated from an adjoining building.
Updating: Two people have died in this fire, in a building belonging to the same landlord who owned the Place Youville Airbnb that burned and killed seven people in March 2023.
Later, the CBC story previously linked in this post was updated to say that “security camera footage shows a hooded person wearing all-black clothing and a mask approaching the building. The person can be seen kicking in the restaurant’s side door and entering the building.”
MarcG 09:45 on 2024-10-04 Permalink
I’m surprised you didn’t make note of the fact that the building in Old Montreal has the same owner as the one on Place D’Youville that burned down last year.
Kate 09:51 on 2024-10-04 Permalink
That bit of information is in the lede in La Presse now, but it wasn’t when I linked it.
%&#@!!
Blork 09:54 on 2024-10-04 Permalink
And apparently he was running a “hostel” out of it. CBC piece says “Some comments, however, describe the accommodations as crammed, rundown and report bedrooms without windows.”
Kate 10:34 on 2024-10-04 Permalink
Sounds grimly familiar. If this guy owns any other buildings, they have to go to the top of the fire department inspection list.
Joey 10:46 on 2024-10-04 Permalink
Look, for all my griping about certain things, I am a fan of Projet Montreal. I think, among other things, they are probably the most competent and morally good political party to seek office in Quebec in a long time (largely because they are motivated by policy, progress and results, and are less driven by thirst for power than pretty much everybody else).
Today we’ve learned that the Metro stations we happened to have the opportunity to inspect need to be shut down (we can only wonder how many other structural beams throughout the Metro system are in similarly bad shape). We’ve also learned that the landlord whose negligence and greed led to a fire that killed seven people is *still* cramming people into unsafe accommodations, leading to the death of at least two people. It’s hard to not think this city is a little doomed – especially since the ostensible good guys are in charge.
Kate 11:15 on 2024-10-04 Permalink
Since I first posted that story there have been two deaths! Holy shit, that guy has blood on his hands.
Priorities at city hall definitely have to change after this. Even if they have to pull some people from friendlier roles and make them be building inspectors.
jeather 11:59 on 2024-10-04 Permalink
Whatever you think about Plante’s choices, she consistently chooses “I want Montreal to be a great city for the residents”. This is based on her definitions of great, which you may or may not agree with — but she isn’t making choices for tourists, or posterity, or the short term.
The thing with the metro is not really her fault, we have years of ignoring repairs coming due.
But the lack of inspections, the complete lack of policing of Airbnbs — these are things she should be doing more about. Why are we not inspecting all of that owner’s places. What happened to the Airbnb ridealong crew?
su 12:21 on 2024-10-04 Permalink
The owner was suing the city over the prior inferno last I heard.
Joey 12:33 on 2024-10-04 Permalink
@jeather, agreed. I guess I wish the city treated murderous slumlords with the same urgency and confidence as it does, say, people who let their dogs off leash in the park at night. I wish the city prioritized ticketing drivers who go through crosswalks near schools more than ticketing drivers who park in restricted zones five minutes before the restricted period ends. We can go on like this all day. Yes, the vast majority of the problems can really only be solved in Quebec City. Still.
Major Annoyance 13:14 on 2024-10-04 Permalink
Let’s not forget the role les pompiers played in this. Bunch of racist white fucks lounging around their man-caves all day – for serious money – none of whom can be arsed to get off his barbecuing butt long enough to do the occasional home inspection.
My neighbour here in our little Expo 67-era shoddy fire-trap all-wood-construction student housing slum just told me he’s been living here 15 years now. Total number of firemen knocking on his door to look over the smoke detectors and fire escape routes: Zero. In 15 fucking years. Same goes for my doors too.
Half the universe probably hates what’s-his-face by now. But the blame spreads around too.
WinklePig 13:28 on 2024-10-04 Permalink
This B*namor guy has k*lled over 10 ppl at this point
And fuck the police. Fuck the fire dept
walkerp 14:26 on 2024-10-04 Permalink
I’m just gobsmacked that this guy still owns buildings that are being rented out. I mean isn’t the obvious move for the city to send inspectors out to any buildings in his name and inspect and ticket them relentlessly?!
If the city isn’t going to do it, the people should tar and feather this loser along with the LaTulipe dink. String them up from the ring as an example to other slum lords.
Major Annoyance 16:08 on 2024-10-04 Permalink
@walkerp: You I like. Have a wonderful weekend.
jeather 20:44 on 2024-10-04 Permalink
There’s a weird detail in the Ricochet story that one of the witnesses is an employee of the owner.
Ian 23:14 on 2024-10-04 Permalink
At this point it’s pretty clear that people are on the take or wildly incompetent. Either way, it’s not a good look. And no, I don’t think la Plante is somehow above it all, despite the good face she puts on for show. In the end City Hall always turns out to have been in on it somehow.
I was told sotto voce by a former PM person who wanted to remain anonymous that City Hall is scared as fuck of lawsuits especially by developers, property speculators, and real-estate types, as that flavour of parasitical scumbags get very expensive very fast – they are often well-connected and have deep pockets. It was one of the main reasons PM refused to change zoning bylaws to protect Mile End from gentrification when all the lunch counters started pooping up along St Viateur. If this particular matter turns out to be a similar instance of cheap-ass cowardice, I would not be at all surprised.