One week later: Rescuers continue search for victims in rubble of Old Montreal fire
It's been one week since a devastating fire tore through a historic building in Old Montreal, killing at least four.
Rescuers are continuing their search for additional victims on Thursday. Three people are still missing, although officials say it's possible there are more.
Only one victim has been identified so far: 76-year-old Camille Maheux, a photographer whose images have been featured in the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and National Gallery of Canada. She lived in the building for roughly 30 years.
Her body was the first to be discovered, pulled from the wreckage on Sunday.
"We will not provide further details on her death, really out of respect for her family and loved ones and to preserve the confidentiality of the police investigation," said police Insp. David Shane at a Thursday morning press briefing.
The other bodies, one found on Tuesday and two on Wednesday, have yet to be identified.
A photo of Camille Maheux, 76, at a memorial at the Place d'Youville building in Old Montreal. Police said Wednesday she is the first victim to be identified from the deadly fire. (CTV News)
The origins of the fire that ravaged the building on Port Street and Place d'Youville, built in 1890, remain unknown. Police say they're gathering evidence while they search for bodies.
On Wednesday, technicians removed much of the building's roof, allowing better access to the floors below. Thursday's action plan includes the addition of a second crane, meant to speed up the dismantling process.
"The plan is to take debris and put it on the second crane," explained fire operations chief Martin Guilbault.
Rescuers employed the use of a second crane on March 23, 2023 to speed up their search for victims of a fire in Old Montreal. (CTV News/Olivia O'Malley)
Some of the units in the building were illegal Airbnbs, which are outlawed in that part of the city. The fire has raised concerns over unlicensed short-term rentals in Montreal.
In the wake of the tragedy, city administrators vowed to establish a team of investigators tasked with cracking down on illegal Airbnbs by June.
Officials say those missing after the fire are from Quebec, Ontario and the U.S.
Family and friends have identified some of the missing, including friends Saniya Khan and Dania Zafar, both 31, who were in Montreal for a trip.
An Wu, 31, a neuroscientist working in California who was in Montreal for a conference, has also been reported missing by loved ones.
Charlie Lacroix, 18, was also identified as one of the potential victims by her father and had rented an Airbnb with a friend. According to her father, Lacroix told 911 operators she was trapped in a room with no fire escape or windows.
On Thursday morning, David Shane announced that the daily 8 a.m. press briefings would be streamed on the SPVM website so families could follow along.
The briefings can be accessed here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.