Site of fatal Old Montreal fire had been flagged by safety inspectors, documents show

Documents obtained by CTV News suggest the site of the fatal fire in Old Montreal last month had been flagged by city safety inspectors. Reports from the Montreal fire department provided to CTV through an Access to Information request described problems with fire alarms in the building.

Documents obtained by CTV News suggest the site of the fatal fire in Old Montreal last month had been flagged by city safety inspectors. 

On March 16, a massive fire ripped through a three storey apartment building, triggering a major rescue operation as firefighters helped those inside escape the flames. Victims were pulled from the building and others were airlifted to safety.

Not everyone made it out. In the days that followed, authorities pulled seven bodies from the rubble. Most of the victims were visitors, renting out the units for short-term stays, and one woman had lived there for three decades. 

Reports from the Montreal fire department provided to CTV through an Access to Information request described problems with alarms in the building. 

In February, 2019, an inspector identified an issue with the fire alarm. According to the report, the alarm needs to reach a certain detectable decibel level inside the apartment. The inspector wrote that the building did not conform to that rule.

On a follow-up visit in November, 2020, the inspector indicated that the problem hadn't been fixed. 

CTV News reached out to the building owner, Emile Benamor, and his lawyer, Alexandre Bergevin, to respond to the reports, and to ask whether the alarm issue had been fixed since the inspection was made. Neither of them provided an immediate response.