(Montreal) “A difficult and complex scene”, “slow and arduous work”: the authorities continue their search in the rubble of the heritage building in Old Montreal ravaged by the flames last Thursday. Montreal firefighters and police are working together to extricate the bodies of those missing in the fire.
“The two priorities are to find the missing and to determine the cause of the fire,” explained Inspector David Shane, head of communications and spokesperson for the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM), in point press Monday morning.
Crews were still busy dismantling the second and third floors of the building on Monday morning, to allow police to speed up their search.
“This is a difficult and complex scene,” said Martin Guilbault, division chief of the Montreal Fire Department (SIM).
The unstable ground and the risk of collapse make manual excavations too dangerous for responders. This is why a drone and nacelles are used in this operation.
A huge crane was also standing near the rubble very early Monday morning. The police and firefighters were busy inside a large security perimeter. The heritage building will be dismantled brick by brick.
The authorities did not want to advance on the probable causes of the fire.
“Given the high probability of death during the fire, the investigation was transferred to the SPVM,” recalled Mr. Guilbault.
“The work is going to be slow and arduous and will take place over several days,” Mr. Shane added.
The body of a first victim was extirpated on Sunday evening and six people are still missing. The seven missing come from Quebec, Ontario and the United States, confirmed the inspector.
The major fire broke out very early Thursday morning and required the intervention of 120 firefighters. “For a fire of this magnitude, the number of victims is major”, underlined Martin Guilbault, of the SIM. One person jumped from the second floor to escape the flames and others were rescued by firefighters.
When the first teams arrived, four people were at the windows as the fire spread rapidly. A “chaotic” situation, described Martin Guilbault.
The fire injured nine people. Two of them are still in hospital treating burns.
“Our hearts go out to the families who are missing a loved one,” added David Shane.
The SPVM and the SIM will hold a press briefing every day at 8:00 a.m. to keep the public informed of the latest developments.
