50 years later, survivors remember devastating Montreal fire that claimed 37 lives

The City of Montreal paid tribute Thursday morning to the victims of a terrible fire 50 years ago that claimed the lives of 37 young men and women.

Families, firefighters and city officials attended the tribute at Phillips Square in downtown Montreal.

"The Bluebird fire has left a lasting impression on all Montrealers," said Mayor Valerie Plante at the tribute. "This tragedy brought about profound reflection within the City of Montreal and its fire department. That day, about 50 firefighters responded to the call that evening to battle the fire and rescue survivors. Many were scarred by the tragedy and deeply affected by the young age of the victims."

Considered one of the worst fires in Canadian history, the arson tore through two nightclubs on Union Street in downtown Montreal.

The Bluebird Café was on the main floor; upstairs, the Wagon Wheel Country Club was packed on the first evening of Labour Day weekend.

The club was a favourite hangout spot for Heather Condon-Lowengren and her husband, Gerry Lowengren.

"We met at the Wagon Wheel. We got engaged at the Wagon Wheel, and that night, on Sept. 1, 1972, I was celebrating my 21st birthday," said Condon-Lowengren, sitting next to her husband of 50 years.

Inside the Bluebird Café and the Wagon Wheel country club, where 37 young people lost their lives. (Barry Adams/Montreal Fire Department archives)

That night, three men were kicked out of the bar for being drunk and disruptive.

They left -- but came back and poured gas on the stairs.

"I said to my husband, 'it smells like gas,'" said Condon-Lowengren.

Llowengren recalls seeing a man pouring the flammable liquid on the stairs and says he wanted to run after him, but it was too late.

"The [arsonist] had lit his flame," he said. "It was an older building, and it was just...poof. At that time, we started screaming, 'fire, fire' and ran through the kitchen because we knew there was a back exit."

The front stairs were burning; the emergency stairs were partially blocked, and the other exits at the Bluebird below were locked.

Outside the Bluebird Café and the Wagon Wheel country club, where 37 young people lost their lives. (Barry Adams/Montreal Fire Department archives)

Retired CTV News reporter Bob Benedetti was working that night.

"When I saw Rich Campeau, who was the [fire department] director at the time, he was in tears," Benedetti said. "I knew something was wrong, and he told me, 'you don't want to see what's up there.' The young people who tried to leave were stacked up against the beer cases in front of the door. He and several other firefighters were in tears. I had never seen that."

LISTEN ON CJAD 800 RADIO: Remembering the Bluebird Café fire 50 years later

Dozens of survivors, including the Lowengrens, suffered in silence for decades.

"When you see it on the media, these things happen all the time, but when you're involved directly, and I couldn't stop anything, you start feeling bad, you start feeling guilty," said Lowengren. "But the reality is you couldn't go through the flames."

Three men, Gilles Eccles, Jean-Marc Boutin and James O'Brien, were arrested shortly after the tragedy.

They were convicted and received life sentences but were eventually paroled.

Outside the Bluebird Café and the Wagon Wheel country club, where 37 young people lost their lives. (Barry Adams/Montreal Fire Department archives)

The original site on Union Street became a parking lot until a condo tower was built five years ago.

For the most part, the event would fade from collective memory, with so many other things happening that weekend: the World Hockey Summit Tournament was in full swing and internationally, the massacre at the Munich Olympic Games a few days later soon took over the headlines.

LISTEN ON CJAD 800 RADIO: Rick Leckner looks back at the Bluebird Café fire

That is, until former Plateau-Mont-Royal Mayor Helen Fotopulos took action on behalf of the victims, inaugurating a memorial in 2012.

"These were young people from working-class families, anglophone families. They went to Dunton High, they went to Montreal High," she said. "They didn't come from Westmount and they didn't come from Outremont, so there was nobody in a position to speak up for them."

Inside the Bluebird Café and the Wagon Wheel country club, where 37 young people lost their lives. (Barry Adams/Montreal Fire Department archives)

The survivors still keep in touch to this day through social media.

Despite getting older, they say they want to make sure no one ever forgets what they lived through.

"It's a celebration for 37 angels that will never be forgotten," said Condon-Lowengren.