Fatal fire in Témiscouata: trapped by locks he had installed

An 83-year-old man who had installed several locks on his doors for fear of being burgled died trapped in a fire at his home earlier this year in Témiscouata, unable to unlock them in time.

The sad event occurred around noon on January 30 in the small municipality of Lejeune, located on the border with New Brunswick. A citizen alerted the emergency services after seeing a window of the house shattered due to the fire.

“[Mais] The fire was already widespread and the structures of the house were on the verge of collapse when the firefighters arrived,” said D.^D Renée Roussel, coroner on file.

The body of Clermont Beaulieu, 83, was found in the rubble of the fire. Taken care of by paramedics, his death was quickly confirmed.

“The fire had started well before it became noticeable outside. Mr. Beaulieu was exposed to toxic fumes well before help arrived and died quickly,” said D^D Roussel.

Paranoia

Tragically, Mr. Beaulieu’s body was found right next to the front door, face down. “He did not have the keys that would have allowed him to unlock the locks on the door,” the coroner said.

The octogenarian was suffering from a certain “cognitive decline” which was expressed in particular by the irrational fear of being burgled, according to his family. This is why he had installed “multiple locks”, sometimes double and triple, on the front doors.

So it took longer than normal to get out since it required having the right key in hand, even from the inside.

People who tried to enter the house to save the octogenarian, including a family member and firefighters, had more difficulty than expected for this same reason.

No fault

Questions have also been raised about the work of the municipal fire department in this case, leading to an investigation by the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) and the D^D Renée Roussel with speakers and experts in the region.

The certifications of Lejeune’s firefighters were also verified.

“There is no reason to believe that the intervention of the Lejeune firefighters was not adequate,” concludes Mr.^me Roussel.

For their part, fire scene technicians from the SQ and the Montreal Forensic Science and Legal Medicine Laboratory have established that a stove coil that caught fire was the cause of the fire.

Contributing factors to death

• Significant overweight and severe osteoarthritis in one knee
• Coronary heart disease limiting physical abilities and worsening damage caused by smoke
• Multiple locks installed on doors linked to cognitive decline expressed by an unjustified fear of being robbed
• The advanced state of the fire well before the firefighters were called to intervene

Source: Coroner’s Report D^D Renee Roussel