Fire Risk: Other dangerous and non-compliant Airbnbs with the same owner

The owner of the building where at least four people died in a tragic fire last week has other buildings in Old Montreal listed as ‘unsafe’ and ‘non-compliant’ rooms on Airbnb. Register.

Our delegation could easily rent a windowless room like the one where young Charlie Lacroix died in a tragic fire in Old Montreal last week.

The unit has faulty windows that don’t open and no sprinklers.

“A room without a window and without a sprinkler is very complicated and gives the occupant a very low chance of survival,” explains Martin Nobert, president of Quebec’s Association of Fire Prevention Technicians (ATPIQ). , the building is also “dangerous” under these conditions.

Named “Le 402”, the hostel where this room is located has two rooms on Airbnb with no windows.

But the heritage building in Old Montreal where this room is located belongs to lawyer Emilie-Haime Benamore. In this case, as in the next one below, the Airbnb host is not M^e Benamore himself. However, it cannot be ascertained whether he is a tenant in good and proper form.

Me Benamor is also the owner of the building on the Place d’Youville where last Thursday’s disastrous fire occurred.

• Read more: [VIDÉO] 7 missing in Old Montreal fire: Airbnb refuses to answer questions

• Read more: The tragedy of Old Montreal, a crime without punishment?

Against the code

“It’s a concern. In a building of three floors or less, like a hostel, the Quebec building code requires one window per room,” confirms Martin Nobert, president of the Association of Fire Prevention Technicians of Quebec (ATPIQ).

“It is very rare, we know that deaths occur in sprinklered buildings, explains Mr. Nobert. With sprinklers, we have a 98% effectiveness rate in extinguishing fires, but they are only mandatory in residential buildings above three floors.

Despite these security gaps, the inn has received all permits from Montreal and Quebec to legally operate a tourism establishment.

The emergency evacuation was nailed

Newspaper At 423, avenue Viger, Emilie-Haime also rented out problematic accommodation on Airbnb in another building owned by Benamore. It is in an area where short-term rentals are illegal.

The emergency exit from this room was not functional due to a burglar trap nailed to the outer wall. A rusty lock prevented it from being opened despite several attempts.

“What we allow is that the fence can be easily opened from the inside. Otherwise, it’s against the spirit of the building code. If we come to rescue the person, it will take a lot of time for the firefighters to extract him,” commented Martin Nobert.

When contacted on this matter, the Airbnb platform reminds that “all its hosts must respect local laws and regulations.”

Mr. Benamore’s lawyer, Alexandre Bergevin, pointed out Thursday Register Lack of time to answer our questions. As for the City of Montreal, it did not respond to our requests when this text was published.