‘As if we lost them again’: Devastating fire destroys Pointe-Claire funeral home

A Pointe-Claire funeral home was badly damaged after a devastating fire ripped through the building on Wednesday. Sitting right off Highway 20 and Cartier Avenue, the building is hard to miss with its six massive columns.

“I don’t know what to say. It’s kind of surreal. It’s kind of weird. My dad is here,” said Marc Laberge, who came in from Morin Heights to see the damage for himself.

On Wednesday, firefighters were called to the Collins Clarke MacGillivray White funeral home around 2 p.m. Seventy firefighters were needed to control the flames.

“A lot of people are asking questions. What happens next?” said Laberge. “I don’t know what to say, it’s almost like a double death in a way.”

West Island resident Leah Gilmore feels the same. Both her parents’ ashes are on site.

“It’s emotional. It’s as if we lost them again,” she said.

Gilmore’s mother has been on the site for almost 15 years. This December marks five years for her father.

With the holiday season around the corner, Gilmore was planning on visiting the columbarium next week to bring poinsettias.

“It’s not like other places where you can go to a grave site,” she said. “This is where we would come to visit and talk to them and to see them.”

Family members are now wondering what is left of the remains of their loved ones. Officials at the funeral home were not available for an interview, but told Global News they are still waiting for an investigation to be completed.

In the meantime, a special team from the funeral home is contacting families to update them with any information available.