Manslaughter charges have been laid against the owner of an Old Montreal building that burned down three years ago, killing seven people who were inside it and injuring nine others.
Montreal police said in a news conference Wednesday that following investigations into the fire, Emile Haim Benamor, 63, was arrested.
According to court documents obtained by Global News, Benamor wasset to appear in court on Wednesday afternoon.
The involuntary manslaughter charges are in connection to the deaths of 18-year-old Charlie Lacroix, 18-year-old Walid Belkahla, 31-year-old An Wu, 31-year-old Saniya Khan, 31-year-old Dania Zafar, 35-year-old Nathan Sears and 76-year-old Camille Maheux.
A fire ripped through the heritage building on March 16, 2023, killing seven people — six of whom were staying in illegal short-term rentals.
“The date of March 16, 2023, will forever remain in our collective memory,” said SPVM Chief Insp. David Shane.
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Shane said they worked with various agencies to recover the victims and through its investigation, determined 22 people were in the building when the fire broke out.
Six people escaped unharmed, nine were injured and seven were killed.
“The families of the deceased victims, the wounded victims and those who escaped unharmed have been informed of this major development by our investigators immediately following the arrest,” Shane said. “We are aware that they’ve been waiting for answers for a very long time. We hope that this development will, to some extent, alleviate their suffering.”
The court documents show Benamor also faces charges of criminal negligence causing bodily harm in connection to eight people.
Shane said in the first months after the fire, “all efforts” were focused on investigating the cause. In August 2023, accidental causes were ruled out following test results.
Police have said that traces of an accelerant were found at the scene and could explain how the fire spread so quickly.
Two separate criminal investigations are being conducted by the SPVM into the fire. The first, led by the Major Crimes section, is focused on the intentional setting of the fire. The second, led by the Arson and Explosives unit, is focused “on the owner’s negligence in managing the building and its impact on the spread of the fire, the deaths and the injuries,” Shane said.
Asked why it took three years to lay charges, Shane said the “complexity of the case made it a bit longer.” He also said police needed to consult with experts dealing with the building’s condition and its impact on the spread of the fire.
He made it clear that the charges laid are related to the state of the building and the management and its impact on the fire’s spread.
“We are not accusing of having put the fire,” Shane said.
The investigation into the intentional setting of the fire remains open, he added.
The inspector was also asked why an announcement of the charges did not come on Monday, the third anniversary of the fire.
“We did the arrest as soon as we could,” he said. “So there’s different steps that need to be done. We need to have the decision, we needed the arrest warrant, there was a certain timing that’s needed for an arrest as well … Of course it would’ve been even better if we did it a few days or a week before, but that’s where the timing ended.”
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