Montreal | Major fire in the Bon-Pasteur chapel, many seniors evacuated

A damaged heritage complex and dozens of seniors on the street: a major fire in the Bon-Pasteur monastery in Montreal at the end of the day Thursday covered the city center with thick smoke and mobilized more than 150 firefighters.

A smell of fire spread through the heart of the metropolis on Thursday afternoon. Sherbrooke Street East, near Saint-Laurent Boulevard, a heritage gem – the Bon-Pasteur Monastery – was burning. About 40 elderly people living there were evacuated.

Smoke was seen around 4:30 p.m., coming from the roof of the historic Chapelle du Bon-Pasteur, a concert hall located in the heart of the heritage complex. It also includes a residence for seniors and many offices, including those of Héritage Montréal, an organization dedicated to defending heritage.

In the evening, the fire was still not under control, after hours of intervention by the Montreal Fire Department (SIM) and its approximately 150 firefighters.

No one is missing or injured in the fire, said Robert Rousseau, spokesman for the SIM. A firefighter was assessed but refused to be taken to hospital.

Throughout the evening, dozens of onlookers gathered around the perimeter established by the police. In small groups, telephones in hand, they observed the work of the firefighters, the smoke escaping from the stone buildings before spreading in the street, the jets of water powerful enough to reach windows several floors higher. The operation continued until nightfall.

“It is still too early to ascertain the damage suffered by the precious heritage building, but there are no fatalities or injuries. A huge thank you to the teams of @MTL_SIM for their work and dedication, ”responded the mayor of Montreal, Valérie Plante, on Twitter.

An investigation will have to be carried out to establish the causes of the fire. According to Dinu Bumbaru, spokesperson for Heritage Montreal, no renovation work was underway on site.

Housing for affected seniors

The monastery houses 37 accommodations for people aged 55 and over, who had to be evacuated due to the smoke. “There was no alarm,” says Angèle Boivin, a resident we met nearby. “I saw ladies screaming in the garden, and as soon as I left my door, a firefighter grabbed me. Our families seeing this on the news must be worried. »

She found herself without money, without identity document and without her phone, she laments. She was told that she will be taken care of by the SIM and the Red Cross.

For Yvan Bourdin, who has lived just behind the monastery for two weeks, the fire is impressive. “I have never seen so many fire trucks,” he reacts.

“When I left my house around 6 p.m., I started to smell a barbecue smell, he testifies. I thought it was just a small fire, then I saw the mass of smoke. »

Cultural hotspot in Montreal

The historic Chapelle du Bon-Pasteur is recognized as one of Montreal’s prestigious performance halls. It is also a member of the network of cultural centers of the City of Montreal.

The heritage complex also acts as a “pioneer” in the fight for the preservation of heritage in Montreal, underlined in an interview Mr. Bumbaru.

The buildings were indeed saved from demolition in the 1980s. “It was completely innovative at the time to change a monastery for a chapel, a residence for the elderly, offices,” he says.

The auditorium was to accommodate the 111^e edition of the 2023 Prix d’Europe Competition, from June 4 to 10. This is the oldest music competition in Quebec.

Valuable musical instruments – a Fazioli concert piano and a 1772 Kirckman harpsichord – are housed in the chapel, according to the City of Montreal’s website.

This is the second heritage building affected by the flames in less than two months. In mid-March, a fire in a heritage building in Old Montreal claimed seven lives.

“You really have to ask questions about how we can prevent fires in heritage buildings,” said Mr. Bumbaru.