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The Quebec Crown prosecutor’s office says it is working diligently to finish its investigation into a fatal Old Montreal building fire three years ago and that information will be made public soon.
In a statement, the Directeur des poursuites criminelles et pénales (DPCP) says it is “deploying the necessary resources so that a conclusion to the investigation may be made public in this case shortly.”
“The prosecutors are ensuring that the victims and their loved ones are kept informed of the case’s progress, but we are aware that the wait remains difficult for them,” the statement says.
The statement comes just days away from the third anniversary of the fire in a historic building, which killed seven people on March 16, 2023, at the corner of Place d’Youville and St-Nicolas Street.
While six made it out unharmed, nine others were injured.
Many of the 22 people inside the building the night of the fire had been staying in illegal Airbnbs, raising concerns about illegal rental units in Old Montreal and other areas popular with tourists.
The fire caused massive damage to the historic building, first built in 1890, leaving nothing but the facade intact. A CBC report found that, prior to going up in flames, the building was considered “a fire trap” by worried renters.
Lawyer Émile Benamor was identified as the owner of that building, as well as another one that burned a year later and killed two people. Benamor and the City of Montreal have been targeted by lawsuits.
In August of 2023, Montreal investigators announced the fire was intentionally set. Surveillance cameras show an explosion, flames and then Denis Bégin, a convicted murderer, fleeing the scene.
Radio-Canada learned that he once slipped from custody and was on the lam for four years, before becoming the primary suspect in the fire, but he has yet to be charged for the fire.
Bégin was on several most wanted lists for years when Montreal police arrested him in May 2023. Two months before he was caught, the fire broke out in the three-storey building in Old Montreal.
The Crown said Bégin, who had been serving a life sentence for second-degree murder, walked out of prison in 2019 with the help of an accomplice waiting for him in a car. He received an additional 18-month sentence after admitting to having escaped from prison.