‘What we do’: These Montreal firefighters helped save 5 lives from deadly blaze

Five Montreal firefighters have received medals for their heroic response to the 2023 fire in Old Montreal that killed seven people.

Five Montreal firefighters have been honoured for their heroic responses to a deadly five-alarm blaze that killed seven people last year.

They put themselves in grave danger, and managed to save several lives as an Old Montreal building was engulfed in flames on March 16, 2023.

“That’s what we train for and that’s what we live for, actually,” said 38-year-old firefighter Keith Brown.

Brown, Julien Berjot and Claude Smith were among the dozens of members of the Montreal Fire Department who ran straight toward the danger just before 6 a.m. that day.

When they arrived, they could see three people at windows on the second floor with flames at their backs. They didn’t hesitate.

“Stress went through the roof,” said Brown. “But that’s what we trained for. We’re used to it. That’s what we do.”

With portable ladders, they start climbing up through the thick smoke.

Berjot and Brown helped two people down. One of them was bleeding profusely, because the windows wouldn’t open and occupants had to break them to get out.