Manuel Couture links Saint-michel fire to 2 deaths

An incendiary fire in saint-michel, Montreal, killed two people Saturday morning after flames broke out in a residential building on 42e rue near 24e avenue. Manuel Couture, the SPVM spokesperson, said police found two bodies inside the apartment where the fire started.

The fire drew an emergency call to 911 at about 7:30 a.m., and several residents of the apartment building managed to evacuate. Two seriously injured people were transported to hospital, while four other people were treated on site.

42e rue and 24e avenue

The fire began in a residential building in the Saint-Michel neighborhood, putting one apartment at the center of the response. Couture said the bodies were found inside that unit, which is now part of the police investigation.

The fact that the fire started in an apartment, rather than in a shared area, leaves investigators focused on the origin point of the blaze itself. The cause had not been determined when the investigation was transferred to the SPVM arson section.

SPVM arson section

That transfer means the case moved beyond a routine fire response and into a criminal-fire investigation handled by specialized police investigators. The question now is how the fire began inside the apartment and whether the arson section can establish that from the scene and the building itself.

For the residents who got out, the immediate danger passed with the evacuation. For the two people taken to hospital, and for the families of the two people who died, the first official account ends with the same point: police have the bodies, the building has been cleared, and the origin of the fire is still under investigation.