A Good Samaritan came to the rescue Sunday, seconds after an explosion in a rooming house in Rosemont.
A total of six people were injured in the explosion and subsequent fire in a three-storey, 53-unit rooming house; one had burns to 80 per cent of his body.
“It seemed to be a propane bottle that exploded at the base of the staircase causing the staircase to fill up with smoke and a slight fire,” explained Ian Ritchie of the Montreal fire department.
The fire in the staircase ended up trapping many tenants on the upper floors.
Stephane Ouellette was having coffee with his wife around the corner. He also happens to be a firefighter from Laval.
“I heard a loud explosion so I quickly got out from the cafe and I was running in the alley,” said Ouellette. “I saw a lot of smoke coming from the window.”
With no equipment, he rushed into the building to see if he could help.
“I evacuated all the people from downstairs and I tried to go to the second floor,” he said. “At the second floor, I found two or three people there. I grabbed one and I yelled at them, ‘You have to go out! There's a fire!’”
Residents described a scary scene of chaos and darkness in the second- and third-floor hallways.
“Eventually I saw a little light, so I figured there was an exit there,” said tenant Mike Arsenault. “I ended up on the balcony on the third floor on the other side.”
Arsenault was rescued along with 29 others in the building.
Fire officials say the building is known to police. It was not equipped with sprinklers. Smoke detectors were installed, but not in every unit.
The Montreal police arson squad is now investigating. They believe the cause of the fire may have been suspicious.
