Police find 6th and 7th bodies inside site of Old Montreal fire
Police say they have found the sixth and seventh bodies inside a building in Old Montreal that burned down 11 days ago and do not expect find any more victims.
The last two victims' bodies were sent to a pathologist for formal identification. With the death toll now at seven, police said now they can focus their efforts on finding the cause of the deadly March 16 fire.
During a news conference Monday afternoon, Insp. David Shane and Montreal fire operations chief Martin Guilbault also revealed the identities of four more victims.
They are 31-year-old neuroscientist An Wu, childhood friends Dania Zafar and Saniya Khan, both 31 years old, and 35-year-old Nathan Sears, who had a PhD in political science from the University of Toronto. The coroner has previously identified the first fire victim as Camille Maheux, 76, a renowned Montreal photographer.
Guilbault confirmed Monday that police officers had been dispatched Friday to at least one other building belonging to Emile-Haim Benamor, the owner of the building that caught fire March 16. Police said the officers were there for about seven hours.
Guilbault did not specify exactly why the officers were sent, but he said it's not uncommon for the fire department to call on the police to help protect and secure a building.
The heritage building that was gutted by the fire was built in 1890 has been unsafe for fire crews to enter. Chief Guilbault said that over the weekend, crews were able to secure some of the walls of the building to avoid them collapsing on fire service workers.
Since Saturday, search crews have been assisted by two volunteer dogs — a Border Collie and a German Shepherd — who "helped us locate the last three victims found Saturday and today," Guilbault said. The dogs were brought in from the non-profit organization, the Association québécoise des bénévoles en recherche et sauvetage.
The fire chief said they could not use the search dogs earlier in their investigation because of the "risk of collapse."
Crews will continue their search with the help of a dog handler to ensure there are no more victims in the building.
Some of the victims had rented units in the building on the Airbnb platform, which was prohibited from allowing hosts to rent short-term rentals in the area due to a city bylaw.
Airbnb has since announced it would remove all listings in Quebec from its platform that don't have a permit from the province.
The fire department said on the day after the fire, it conducted a safety blitz in the area where the building was located to ensure residents had functioning smoke detectors and clear exits. "We used the fact that we had a fire to encourage people to think [of] prevention," Guilbault said.
VICTIMS MOURNED, HONOURED
People who knew the victims are sharing their grief as more identities are confirmed.
Dania Zafar is being remembered for her creativity and commitment to education. She worked at Ignite Publishing for four years, according to the company’s CAO.
“Dania was truly family to us, and her passion, ingenuity, compassion, and friendship will be truly missed,” said Carolina Gold in a statement.
To honour Zafar, Gold says the company will be building a school in Pakistan in her name.
“The Dania Zafar School of Hope will be a haven for children who dream big and love the arts. We hope this school will provide comfort to Dania’s family in Pakistan.”Dania Zafar, shown in a handout photo, is one of the people confirmed missing in the fire that swept through an Old Montreal building on March 16, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Zafar Mahmood
Nathan Sears, also from Toronto, was a political scientist who was listed as having participated in the International Studies Association conference held in Montreal the same week of the fire.
He had just defended his Ph.D. thesis in international relations last year, according to his thesis supervisor.
“The loss is devastating to everyone who knew Nathan,” said University of Toronto professor Steven Bernstein in an e-mail to CTV News. "I’ve never encountered a student who cares so deeply about what he studied.”
"He was also a wonderful human being," he continued. "His passion was matched by his kindness. I’ve heard from several people in the last few days how he helped and supported them through the challenges of PhD studies."
-With files from The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 mm among weather alerts in effect for 7 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres, air quality advisories and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Canada Post’s newest stamp features special cookies for Islamic holiday
Canada Post’s newest specialty stamps feature “melt-in-your-mouth” desserts to mark two Islamic festivals, the crown corporation announced Thursday.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
A dog and a bird formed an unlikely friendship. Their separation has infuriated followers
Peggy is a stout and muscular Staffordshire bull terrier, and Molly is a magpie, an Australian bird best known for swooping on humans during breeding season, not for befriending dogs. But in an emotional video posted online, Peggy’s owners announced that the animals had been separated.
Statistics Canada reports real GDP up 0.6 per cent in January as Quebec strikes end
Canada's real gross domestic product grew 0.6 per cent in January, helped by the end of public sector strikes in Quebec in November and December, Statistics Canada said Thursday.
Ukrainian child asylum seekers in St. John’s get class of their own
Roughly 50 children will gathered in a St. John’s classroom for the first time on Saturday for unique lessons on Ukrainian language, culture and history.