The owner of the building, where at least four people died in a tragic fire last week, owns a property, according to an investigation by the protocol.
Our agents were easily able to rent a windowless space similar to the one where young Charlie Lacroix died in a tragic fire in Old Montreal last week.
The unit has fake windows that don’t open and no sprinklers.
“A room with no windows and no sprinkler system is very problematic and gives residents much less chance of survival,” explains Martin Nobert, president of the Association of Fire Prevention Technicians of Quebec (ATPIQ), adding that in the event of a fire, the building is also among those “dangerous” conditions.
The hostel where this room is located, called “Le 402”, shows two rooms on Airbnb with no windows.
Pierre-Paul Poulin / Le Journal de Montreal / QMI Agency
Small panes of glass act as a partition to another guest of the inn. It is therefore impossible to open these false windows.
But the historic Old Montreal building where this room is located is owned by attorney Emile-Haim Benamor. In this case, as in the next one below, the Airbnb host was not Me Benamor himself. However, it is impossible to know if he was a renter in good and proper shape.
Me Benamor is also the owner of the Place D’Youville building where last Thursday’s devastating fire occurred.
Screenshot of the Airbnb website
Windowless room for rent on Airbnb at 402, rue Notre-Dame Est, in Montreal.
Screenshot of the Airbnb website
• Also read: [VIDÉO] 7 people missing from Old Montreal fire: Airbnb refuses to answer questions
• Also read: The Old Montreal Tragedy, a crime without punishment?
against the code
“It’s worrying. If you have a three story building or less like the hostel, Quebec building codes require you to have one window per room,” confirms Martin Nobert, President of the Association of Fire Prevention Technicians of Quebec (ATPIQ).
“We know that fatalities in sprayed buildings are very rare,” explains Mr. Nobert. Sprinklers are 98% effective at extinguishing fires, but they are only required in residential buildings over three stories high.
Despite these security vulnerabilities, the hostel has obtained all Montreal and Quebec permits to legally operate as a tourism facility.
Emergency exit pinned down
The Journal also rented a problematic Airbnb property in another Emile-Haim Benamor building at 423 Avenue Viger. It is in an area where short-term rentals are illegal.
The emergency exit from this room was not functional due to the anti-theft grille nailed to the outside wall. The rusty lock also prevented opening despite several attempts.
Pierre-Paul Poulin / Le Journal de Montreal / QMI Agency
Our representative cannot open the emergency exit of this room. The fence was nailed down, preventing anyone from getting out.
“What we allow is a fence that is easy to open from the inside. Otherwise, it violates the spirit of the building code. If we come to rescue the person, the fire brigade will need a lot of time to rescue them,” comments Martin Nobert.
When contacted about the issue, the Airbnb platform recalled that it requires “all of its hosts to respect local laws and regulations.”
Pierre-Paul Poulin / Le Journal de Montreal / QMI Agency
Apartment rented by Le Journal on Avenue Viger Est in Old Montreal. The unit’s single emergency exit was non-functional.
Mr Benamor’s lawyer, Alexandre Bergevin, told the Journal on Thursday “lack of time” to answer our questions. As for the City of Montreal, it had not responded to our inquiries when this text was published.
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