Patrick Brasseur was preparing to go to work early Thursday morning when a violent fire broke out at the apartment building where he lived in Old Montreal.
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The tragedy claimed at least one victim who was extricated from the rubble, but 6 people are still missing.
The injured Patrick Brasseur, who has just been discharged from hospital, told Mario Dumont on Tuesday morning what he’s been going through.
“I wanted to go to work. As I opened the door to my apartment to take my boots outside, I saw a large amount of black smoke. So dark I couldn’t see anything. There was no emergency light,” said the 54-year-old. “It was total darkness.”
Patrick Brewer | Screenshot TVA News
He never realized a fire was going on until he opened the door to his 400-square-foot apartment, which he pays $750 a month for.
“I got dressed, I made my lunch. Once I saw a cloud pass over the door. I told myself that something is not normal. I had heard a kind of “boom”. I thought it was a vehicle that hit the building or there was an accident.
He stuck his head out and saw that everything was shattered and debris was falling off the edge.
“The world panicked, screamed, threw themselves everywhere,” he recalls. No alarm sounded.
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“I have a big red bell over my door and it has never rang!”
The fire had already spread through the stairwell and prevented him from leaving the building.
When the man saw he was trapped, he returned to his apartment, where he stuck his head out the window for a good ten minutes while waiting for firefighters.
Firefighters rescued him via the ladder, which was “so hot” it burned his arm.
Patrick Brasseur during the drama | Erik Peters / Agency QMI
Photo agency QMI, Erik Peters
“It was really, really intense like heat. Once in my apartment I was sure to grill like a chicken. I cried, I was about to jump off the fourth floor,” says Mr Brasseur, who has lived on the top floor of the listed building for 35 years.
Photo agency QMI, Erik Peters
He was taken to the CHUM burn center where he was discharged from the hospital on Monday afternoon. He also sustained injuries to the retina of his eyes, but fortunately he shouldn’t have any permanent damage.
Over the years Patrick Brasseur has noticed security anomalies in the building, problems which he has reported to the authorities. Despite visits from firefighters, the owner would never have carried out the work to secure the building.
Aware of the safety hazards, Mr Brasseur had even made his own emergency rope that would have enabled him to escape through the window in the event of a fire.
MAXIME DELAND/QMI AGENCY
Unfortunately, due to the smoke, he was never able to grab it. “It was dark in the apartment, black smoke.”
According to him, only three permanent residents lived on the site, and about thirty apartments were rented out through Airbnb.
MARIO BEAUREGARD/QMI AGENCY
The large apartments have been subdivided to create spaces for temporary rentals, Mr Brasseur explains.
“It was 80% full every day, it was never the same crowd and rarely did anyone stay more than a day or two.”
The search continues and finds six people who are still missing.
MAXIME DELAND/QMI AGENCY