Fire in empty building on the Main
There’s been a fire Monday afternoon in an abandoned building on St‑Laurent just up from Sherbrooke. It’s been empty for a long time, but used to have a little store on the ground floor, one of those oddball places that sold everything, so if you needed a screwdriver and some balloons and a phone cable and a new belt, it was a one‑stop shop. Run by a couple of brothers from Pakistan. I don’t know what it was called, because although you can see it on Streetview, going back to 2015, there’s no name at all on the frontage.
David S 18:22 on 2026-04-06 Permalink
I think you’re referring to « tabagie Saint-Laurent ». I used to live nearby, but never went in.
I got the name from Apple Maps:
https://maps.apple/la/jm.ATXIGjrZoXq
David S 18:29 on 2026-04-06 Permalink
Oops, I was a corner away. Please disregard my previous post 😉
Kate 20:02 on 2026-04-06 Permalink
It wasn’t a tabagie, more a kind of dollar store with an unpredictable stock, but somehow always managed to have the thing I wanted when I went in. I think I must have discovered it the summer I was working down in the next block for Just for Laughs, because I didn’t live nearby.
MarcG 08:28 on 2026-04-07 Permalink
I walked by there every day on my way to work a long time ago and seem to remember a large mustachioed gentleman would stand out front smoking in the mornings but I might be getting some memories tangled up. When I first looked at the photo in the article I thought “Kate got the wrong building, it’s the one next door” but that’s because the building with the fire is simply *gone* in the photo!
Kate 09:26 on 2026-04-07 Permalink
The building north of Monday’s fire has been gone for awhile. Streetview from 2015 shows a small bar or restaurant called Zante, which I have no memories of. Streetview also shows it was demolished between October 2021 and August 2022. There was quite a deep hole dug as well, suggesting a planned construction project, but nothing has happened there since then.
TVA has some photos from Monday’s fire. The adjoining building south of the fire looks like it has apartments upstairs but nobody has mentioned whether they were occupied or evacuated. Even in 2015 they look empty.
Kevin 10:05 on 2026-04-07 Permalink
The building on the right is a 4-unit apartbent block. Two families were home at the time but everyone got out safely.
Kate 10:13 on 2026-04-07 Permalink
Thank you, Kevin. Here’s the link I missed seeing.
MarcG 13:17 on 2026-04-07 Permalink
Pretty amazing video on Instagram of the fire in full rage.
Kate 14:38 on 2026-04-07 Permalink
Wow. Could that just be from a decade of drying out, or was something flammable stored inside?
Theo 10:59 on 2026-04-08 Permalink
Zante is a very good restaurant now located next door to Le Cantlie Suites on Sherbrooke.