Families wondering about next steps after West Island funeral home destroyed by fire

The Gilmore family of Pointe-Claire is one of many wondering what will happen in the aftermath of the fire that destroyed the Collins Clarke funeral home earlier this week. 

The columbarium inside, where loved ones' urns are stored, is where people would pay their respects.

Leah Gilmore says she is reliving some deep sadness.

"It is emotional. It is like we have lost them again," Gilmore said in an interview with CTV News on Friday.

Her parents' urns were inside the Collins Clarke funeral home when a two-alarm fire broke out on Wednesday.

"It's emotional because it isn't like a grave site, this is where we would come," Gilmore said.

The burned remains of the Collins Clarke funeral home in Pointe-Claire on Friday, Nov. 10, 2023. (Christine Long/CTV News)

Her dad, John Gilmore, has been here for almost five years and her mom, Christine Lajeunesse-Gilmore, for almost 15 years.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the funeral home thanked the firefighters who responded to the fire and said there were no injuries.

"The cause of the fire and the extent of the damage is still unknown, and we are working with the appropriate officials to determine the exact cause. However, our priority is our families," the statement read, adding that the affected families will be contacted and services are still available at their other locations.

Firefighters respond to a two-alarm fire at the Collins Clarke MacGillivray White Funeral Home in the West Island on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023. (CTV News)

Gilmore's paternal grandparents had their funerals in the chapel and she and her brother visit regularly. 

"Next Tuesday, my brother and I were both going to come with the holiday season. My mom loved poinsettias and we were going to come and bring them a poinsettia," she said.

She said she's hopeful the funeral home can be rebuilt.