IN PHOTOS: Historic Montreal Familex factory building catches fire
A devastating fire on Wednesday morning will permanently alter, if not destroy, an iconic Montreal building. The brick building at 1600 de Lorimier Ave. is well-known to any motorist who enters the city via the Jacques-Cartier, as the bridge bends to avoid it.
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The Familex factory building in Montreal The view of the former Familex factory building from De Lorimier Avenue in Montreal.
(Guy Des Rosiers/ Écomusée du fier monde)
Familex factory A 1950 photograph of the Familex factory from De Lorimier Avenue. (Associated Screen News Ltd, Fonds Familex/ Écomusée du fier monde)
Romeo Parent and associates Romeo Parent and the management at the Familex factor. (Familex Écomusée du fier monde)
Workers in the Familex factory Workers in the Familex factory in 1945. The company sold household goods and pharmeceuticals door-to-door in Quebec. (Fonds Familex/ Écomusée du fier monde)
Familex factory workers Workers on an assembly line at the Familex factory in 1953. (Collection Familex/ Écomusée du fier monde)
Familex factory in Montreal An illustration of the Familex factory on De Lorimier Avenue in Montreal. The building caught fire on Jan. 20, 2026. (Écomusée du fier monde)
Montreal fire Montreal firefighters battle a blaze so large it has forced the closure of the Jacques-Cartier Bridge, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. (CTV News)
Montreal fire Heavy smoke in the sky as a fire forces the complete closure of the Jacques Cartier Bridge, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. (Tanya Lucas)
