A fire in the Montreal borough of Saint-Michel that left nearly 40 families homeless two weeks ago was caused by a cigarette butt. On Monday, Montreal firefighters confirmed the cause of the fire, which took place in a building near the intersection of Saint-Michel and Cremazie boulevards on Oct. 19. The four-storey building has commercial units on the ground floor, including the St-Michel Daycare, and three floors of 36 residential units. Immediately after the fire, the Red Cross said it had assisted 30 families with food, clothing and hotel accommodations, but only 72 hours of accommodations were guaranteed. No one was injured in the fire. According to the Montreal Fire Department’s annual report, more than 400 fires were caused by smoking products in 2025.
