Police investigate deadly Villeray fire

Deadly fire in Villeray An 81-year-old woman died and several people were treated for smoke inhalation

A fire in a Villeray-St. Michel-Parc Extension retirement home has claimed the life of one woman and caused serious injuries.

Firefighters discovered the body of an 81-year-old woman as they entered one of the apartments, said Montreal police spokesperson Daniel Lacoursière.

Another woman was taken to hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation. Three other people were treated on the scene for smoke inhalation.

The SPVM, Montreal fire department and Urgences Santé rushed to the blaze at Residence Boyer, a five-storey city-run seniors’ residence at 1000 Villeray St. near Christophe-Colomb Ave.

Firefighters said the blaze broke out in a unit on the third floor. They said residents living on that floor will not be able to return for the time being due to smoke damage.

Several people were rescued by ladder from balconies while two who fled to the roof were rescued by firefighters, a task that was especially difficult as several of the residents had limited mobility.

“I didn’t even hear the alarm. (My friend) came and banged on my door. And I’m slow, so it took a few minutes, and she said come on and get out,” said Ginette Lefebvre, who lives on the fourth floor and has limited mobility. “When we went in the stairway to get down, it was full of smoke. I didn’t have anything. I didn’t have my coat, I didn’t have my boots. I was freezing down there.”

Lefebvre said she saw the fire escaping through the windows of the building and managed to make it down the stairs with difficulty.

“I was scared for all my friends,” she said, adding that she knew the victim.

“It was bad because I went through that in 1996, and I lost everything. Today it was just the smoke, but I knew the person who lost her life, so, you know, it’s really bad.”

The Montreal police arson squad is investigating the incident. The cause of the fire is so far unknown. There was no sprinkler system in place at the seniors' home.

Borough Mayor Anie Samson said the concrete building was built before sprinkler systems were required.

"That structure with all concrete, they don't need (sprinklers), because it's very safe," she said.

Residents are being relocated to another centre nearby or being told to stay with family if possible.

"We ask other citizens here, if they have family they can go and live there until we find a solution," said Samson. "The Red Cross is there too, so we will check how we can manage to place people tonight - maybe at the hotel, maybe with family. So we are working on that."

The Red Cross is working with Sun Youth to ensure all the residents are taken care of in terms of shelter, food, clothing and medication.

"That's our role of the Red Cross, to make sure we are comforting the individuals and the evacuees as best as we can, to make them feel they are being taken care of, that they're not being left alone," said Elie Langevin of the Canadian Red Cross Montreal.

Despite the fact it was a four-alarm blaze, structural damage to the building appears limited, and the hope is that residents will be able to return here sooner rather than later.