Owner facing 15 charges after Old Montreal fire that killed 7, including guests in illegal Airbnbs

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Old Montreal building owner charged in deadly 2023 fire

Old Montreal fire: Police arrest owner on 15 charges

Émile Benamor leaves police station after being granted bail

Crown explains why building owner in Old Montreal fire was granted bail

The owner of a building in Old Montreal that burned down in 2023, killing seven people, is now facing charges of manslaughter and criminal negligence causing bodily harm.

In a press conference on Wednesday, Montreal police (SPVM) chief inspector David Shane confirmed that Émile Haïm Benamor, 63, was arrested on Wednesday morning.

He is facing seven charges of manslaughter in connection with the fire on March 16, 2023, which killed seven people: Charlie Lacroix, 18; Walid Belkahla, 18; An Wu, 31; Saniya Khan, 31; Dania Zafar, 31; Nathan Sears, 35; and Camille Maheux, 76.

• READ MORE: Seven lives lost: The victims of the Old Montreal fire

Benamor is also facing eight charges of criminal negligence causing injury, after nine others were injured in the blaze.

Six people escaped unharmed.

After appearing in court Wednesday afternoon via videoconference from jail, a judge agreed to release Benamor on a $10,000 bail. He must abide by several conditions, including no communication with the victims and their families, to not leave the country without notifying the police first, and to maintain his properties in good condition and ensure they comply with fire safety code regulations.

He is scheduled to return to court in April.

Seven victims who died in the Old Montreal fire identified:

Benamor’s lawyer said his client was shocked by the arrest.

“Three years after, it’s a surprise,” lawyer Alexandre Bergevin said, but declined further comment.

After his court appearance, Benamor left the police station covering his face and declining to answer questions from reporters.

Lucas Bastien, a spokesperson for the Crown prosecution office, said the arrest took this long because it was a complex investigation.

“We also had to request new steps in the investigation from police and the analysis was also something that took some time,” he told reporters.

Bastien also said he expects the case to proceed swiftly in the court because the Crown chose to proceed by direct indictment, which eliminates the need for a preliminary inquiry.

This means the jury trial can start sooner, he added.

Safety violations

Following the deadly blaze, numerous questions were raised about safety violations in the Place d’Youville building, a heritage structure known as the William-Watson-Ogilvie Building.

It originally housed offices for a flour mill and was gradually converted into a residential building between the late 1960s and the 1980s.

• READ MORE: Owner of buildings in 2 deadly Old Montreal fires fined for safety code violation

On the day of the fire, six of the seven victims were staying in illegal short-term rentals, including Airbnbs.

The building had a total of 15 units.

A father of one of the victims, Charlie Lacroix, previously told CTV News that his 18-year-old daughter was trapped in a unit that had no windows to escape from, while a survivor said she didn’t hear the fire alarm go off in her semi-basement unit.

Other witnesses have raised questions about safety, including whether smoke detectors were working and if there were properly marked emergency exits.

Shortly after the fire, police reported finding traces of an accelerant at the scene, which they believed could explain why the flames spread so quickly.

Wednesday, Shane confirmed that two investigations into the incident are ongoing: one by the SPVM major crimes unit into the intentional setting of the fire and a second by the force’s arson and explosives squad looking at the owner’s negligence in managing the building.

He added that Benamor has not been accused of having anything to do with the fire itself.

Second fire

On Oct. 4, 2024, another building owned by Benamor was set on fire, killing French tourist Léonor Geraudie and her seven-year-old daughter, Vérane Reynaud-Geraudie.

Two others were injured in the incident, which erupted on the ground floor before spreading to the upper two levels, which housed a hostel.

• READ MORE: Murder charges for two men in connection with Old Montreal fire

Two men, Justin Fortier-Trahan, 20, and Juventino Hernandez Pelaez, 18, were later arrested and charged with second-degree murder and other charges in that case.

With files from CTV News’ Joe Lofaro and The Canadian Press