1 person found dead, 6 others still missing from Old Montreal blaze

Montreal fire and police officials say one person has been found dead and six people remain missing after a fire swept through a building in Montreal’s historic district on Thursday.

In a news conference Sunday evening, officials confirmed that a body was recovered at 6:45 p.m., and has been taken to a forensic lab to be identified.

Montreal fire operations chief Martin Guilbault says fire services began preparations Sunday morning to dismantle the second and third floors of the building in order to gain access to the fire scene.

Montreal police spokesman Constable Jean-Pierre Brabant had said earlier Sunday that seven people were still believed to be missing after the fire, which injured nine people.

Earlier on Sunday, investigators surveyed the scene and took photos from a cherry picker crane before the rest of the building started to be dismantled.

Commander Steve Belzil, the head of the arson squad that has taken over the investigation, said on Saturday that police hadn’t ruled out the possibility that more victims would be found in the ruins.

Belzil told reporters that police don’t know how many of the missing were tourists staying in short-term rentals and how many lived in the building permanently.

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At least 6 people now missing after Old Montreal blaze, fire officials say