The occupants of an HLM in downtown Trois-Rivières are living a real nightmare, to the point of not sleeping at night. On four occasions since last spring, the last of which was Sunday morning, an arsonist attempted to set fire inside the building of 39 apartments on Saint-Denis Street.
Louise Laperrière is one of the tenants who found herself face to face with the start of a fire when she opened her door.
Her next-door neighbor quickly came knocking on her home, in front of which someone had just set fire using advertising flyers. She then took care of putting out the beginning of the fire herself.
I was upside down for days. It doesn't make any sense
This incident took place in August. Last Friday, the mysterious arsonist, if it was the same person, struck again. This time, in the mail room, at the entrance to the HLM.
According to testimonies, he brought gasoline, but was disturbed and left everything behind to disappear.
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It was in the mail room that a can of gasoline was allegedly used to start a fire.
Photo: - / Jean-François Fortier
The story has similarities to a horror novel. Sunday morning, the individual returned with the same intention.
He could have passed through a secondary door held ajar by a metal rod, then lit tissues in a stairwell.
Tenants, including Jean-Pierre Corbin, noticed it immediately. We smelled smoke. I said, “well, that’s not normal.”
he says.
Firefighters and police officers intervened, well aware that the situation was starting to get serious.
A situation that sows fear
After the third event last Friday, the police department indicated that it could not connect the incidents, while noting that the way of working was the same.
The absence of surveillance cameras does not facilitate the investigation.
We feel stressed. We have trouble sleeping because we don't know what could happen following the incident again this morning
confides Diane Tremblay, another resident.
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The individual allegedly set fire to tissues in a stairwell on Sunday morning.
Photo: - / Jean-François Fortier
Last spring, the arsonist appeared for the first time in the elevator shaft.
Tenants considered temporarily leaving the premises. One of them reportedly asked to be relocated to another HLM.
Since last Friday, the Municipal Housing Office has posted a security guard who monitors the building 24 hours a day.
On Sunday, the arsonist managed to deceive his vigilance.
For the moment, it is impossible to know how he would have done it. On three occasions he would have had to pass through permanently locked access doors.
