Fire in Saguenay: he would have died after falling asleep while cooking

A 37 -year -old man who died in a fire two years ago in Saguenay would be asleep while cooking, when he had the faculties weakened by alcohol and his smoke detector would have stopped working.

This is shown by the report of the Cloé Hudon coroner, unveiled on Tuesday.

The blaze broke out late in the evening on February 23, 2023 in a Housing on Powell Street, in the Arvida sector, located near the police headquarters.

The police had also arrived quickly, but the intensity of the flames made it impossible for any intervention on their part of the victim, Simon Gagnon.

One of their

Tragically, the latter turned out to be one of their colleagues: the municipal and police authorities had confirmed that he was a civilian employee of the Saguenay police service, where he “was appreciated in his team”.

According to La Coroner, “everything suggests that Mr. Gagnon fell asleep while he was cooking”.

The most likely origin of the fire is the cooking plate of the stove, although what burned exactly on it has not been identified.

“The smell of smoke would not have alerted it in time before the smoke spreads in the accommodation and the poisoning, before it is able to leave the accommodation,” read.

Toxicological analyzes indicate that man had the faculties weakened by alcohol; It is therefore “possible that alcohol plunged him into a deeper sleep”.

It should be noted, neither the firefighters nor any of Mr. Gagnon’s neighbors heard the smoke detector ring.

He “had to be able to operate” before the fire, but it was powered by electricity and had no battery.

He could therefore not have played his role when the power supply was interrupted.

Accidental death

Upon arrival of the firefighters, who also intervened within rapid deadlines, according to the Coroner, the victim was extended to the ground behind the front door of his apartment.

The coroner concludes that an accidental death caused by carbon monoxide poisoning.

In 2020, during the fire prevention week, it was reported that an in four residential fire, in Quebec, began in the kitchen.

Almost half of the residential fires are linked to a distraction or a human error.

The occupants have on average less than three minutes to evacuate the premises, he was underlined.