[VIDÉO] Fatal fire in Old Montreal: a dangerous room, without windows and without a sprinkler, was for rent

The fire in Old Montreal, which
ravaged a dangerous youth hostel where The Journal revealed last year that rooms were being rented without windows and without sprinklers.

• Also read: “People must feel bad”: the father of one of the victims of a fire in Old Montreal in 2023 deplores the inaction to avoid such a tragedy again

The fire broke out around 2:30 a.m. in a building located at the corner of Notre-Dame Est and de Bonsecours streets. Among other things, it housed Airbnb-type accommodations for rent.

The Journal had also alerted the City of Montreal in March 2023 about this building, the one called “Le 402”. This youth hostel was partly ravaged by flames on Friday morning.

See the hostel in question in the video below:

At the time, our investigation revealed that the host of this building was putting the lives of his customers in danger.

Same owner again

In fact, he rented at least on the Airbnb platform.

“A room without windows and without a sprinkler is very problematic and gives the occupant much less chance of survival,” explained Martin Nobert, president of the Association of Fire Prevention Technicians of Quebec (ATPIQ).

Note that the inn targeted by our investigation in 2023 and the buildings ravaged by the fire on Friday morning all belong to the same man: lawyer Émile Haim Benamor.

M^e Benamor also owns a building on Place D’Youville, where another one took place. Seven people died in the fire and nine others were injured. The victims were notably located in Airbnb type rentals.

The inn finally renovated

According to our information, the “Le 402” inn underwent an inspection by the Montreal Fire Safety Service (SIM), almost a month after our investigation into it in 2023. Benamor had been put on notice regarding its property after the passage of the SIM.

This visit revealed that his building indeed had several major non-compliances. Experts noted a lack of fire alarm system and smoke alarms. Issues related to fire doors and walls were raised by inspectors.

The Journal learned that another SIM visit last May finally concluded that fixes had been made and that the building was deemed safe.

However, customers have published dozens of negative reviews on the Google profile and on the Expedia page of the “402”, supporting photos. Many criticize the lack of cleanliness or the absence of windows in certain rooms.

“If there’s a fire, don’t think you’ll survive. The corridors are narrow and the smoke detector is in pieces,” wrote Vincent Fattorelli three weeks ago, visibly dissatisfied with his stay.

– With Maxime Deland, QMI Agency