A year after deadly Old Montreal fire, families remain heartbroken, angry

"A year later, we still feel shock and disbelief that this has happened and our son has been taken from us," said Randy Sears.

Sitting next to his wife Beth in their New Brunswick home, Sears can't help but get worked up. He says he continues to feel a myriad of emotions.

"Confusion. Anger. Anxiety."

In the early hours of March 16, 2023, a fire broke out at a heritage building in Old Montreal. 

Flames quickly spread, exploding windows and engulfing the building in smoke. Of the 22 people in the building at the time, seven died : Charlie Lacroix, An Wu, Nathan Sears, Dania Zafar, Camille Maheux, Saniya Khan and Walid Belkalha. 

Six of them were staying in illegal Airbnbs at the time, including Nathan.

"Our life has been left with a gaping hole and a hole that will never really be filled," said Randy Sears.

Now though, he says, there's even more to be angry and frustrated about.

"It's a comedy of errors," Randy says, of the ongoing criminal investigation into the fire, and what he feels is the lack of accountability of various parties, including Airbnb, the building owner and the City of Montreal.

He's not alone. Other families and survivors feel answers are lacking as they continue to deal with the repercussions of  that morning.

Montreal police won't comment on the specifics of the case, citing the ongoing investigation.

"We send all our sympathies to the families," Insp. David Shane told Radio-Canada. 

"We are following all possible leads in this case. We understand that it's long. We know that for the families it's an eternity but we are working our hardest."

In August though, the case was transferred to the major crimes unit, with the police saying they believe the fire was intentionally set.