It seems like it was yesterday. I get out of the shower just after 5:30 a.m. and look at my phone. Lots of missed calls from LCN and Paul Arcand's team. Clearly something is going on. I watch the news to see the horror striking a retirement home… in the village next door to the one where I have lived half my life, in the heart of the riding I represented as an MP.
Every minute I realize the magnitude of the tragedy. The situation could hardly be worse. The fire broke out in the middle of the night while everyone was sleeping. There were probably people trapped inside. It was freezing cold. And it was windy.
It's on offer in L'Isle-Verte! A kilometer from the river, the Résidence du Havre was well exposed to the strong winds of the St. Lawrence Estuary. The wind gives swords to the cold and makes the impossible work of firefighters and other emergency services even more difficult. The wind accelerates the fire. The wind creates a background noise that adds to the horror.
The horror
The residents and stakeholders experienced horror on January 23, 2014 in L'Isle-Verte. Six months later, the people of Lac-Mégantic. The stories of those who experienced it are disturbing. Her memories mix with darkness, cold, the roar of fire, screams of terror, the smell and panic.
Isle Verte cried. 32 people died in the fire. Psychological shocks for dozens of other people, survivors or emergency responders. And a gaping hole in the middle of this beautiful village, a painful reminder of the worst night in its history.
Then everyone asked questions. On the steps of the church, in the media and more officially in a forensic inquest. The building, the procedures, the emergency response, the work of the firefighters, the government standards, everything is there.
Stand up
Although this questioning is disturbing and painful for some, it is necessary. Human life is precious and in the face of such tragedy we seek answers to understand. Above all, we live in the hope that humanity will get better by learning from its mistakes and tragedies.
In the case of the Résidence du Havre fire, the survey covered all senior residences in Quebec. Since thousands of people are accommodated there and many of them live with limitations in their autonomy or mobility, safety in the event of a fire was reassessed.
This had consequences: the need to install sprinkler systems, as well as other mandatory adjustments in these buildings, put the centers under severe financial pressure. Several apartment owners, especially small apartment owners, also decided to close because they were unable to finance this work.
As for L'Isle-Verte, the community has recovered. The Résidence de l'Ancrage is currently being built on the same plot. Seniors will still be welcome here in 2024. A proud village, like so many others in Quebec, bent by the wind but always rising.