At least two people were killed and others were injured when a fire ripped through a century-old building in Old Montreal early Friday, according to the report supplied in the evidence packet.
The source describes the building as a historic, 100-year-old, three-story structure in the Old Montreal neighbourhood. It says the fire left at least two people dead and others hurt, including one person who was critically injured. The excerpt does not provide names, the exact number of injured people beyond that, or any official determination of what started the blaze.
The wording of the packet indicates that investigators were treating the incident as a suspected arson, but the supplied excerpt itself is brief and does not lay out the evidence behind that suspicion. For that reason, the strongest supported account is that a serious fire engulfed a historic building and left multiple casualties while investigators examined whether it may have been set deliberately.
The location adds to the gravity of the event. Old Montreal is known for its dense stock of heritage buildings, narrow streets, and mixed-use structures. A fire in a building of that age and character raises immediate concerns about occupant safety and preservation, but the evidence packet does not include any official assessment of structural damage or the fate of neighboring properties.
The report also leaves open basic questions about the sequence of events. It does not say when the fire was first reported, how emergency crews found the victims, or whether anyone was trapped inside. It also does not state whether the injured people were taken to local hospitals by ambulance or whether firefighters encountered unusual obstacles while trying to reach the blaze.
What can be stated firmly is that the incident was not a routine building fire. The combination of fatalities, injuries, a critically injured victim, and the suspected-arson framing means police and fire officials would likely have needed to examine both the origin point and the conditions inside the building. The packet, however, stops short of giving those conclusions.
In a heritage district like Old Montreal, a fire of this scale is especially consequential because older structures can spread smoke and flames rapidly through shared walls, stairwells, or concealed spaces. That possibility is common knowledge about older urban buildings, but the source material does not confirm it as a feature of this particular case.
The safest reading is that the blaze killed at least two people, injured several others, and triggered an investigation into how a fire could have moved through such a prominent historic building. Additional official updates would be needed before more specific claims could be made.
