Residents of Dorval, Que., apartment building say they never heard alarms as building went up in flames

Julianna Mason lived in a building on Garden Crescent in Dorval, Que., up until Saturday when a fire broke out.

She said it wasn't smoke alarms that warned her of the fire but the smoke itself. She noticed it in the air and then heard a faint sound.

"The alarm never went off, but I could hear the alarm of the other building because they're connected," she said. "Sometimes, in the basement, you can hear the echo."

The four-alarm fire forced the evacuation of residents from 26 apartment units. About 100 firefighters were called to the scene to put out the flames in two adjacent buildings.

The fire is believed to have started on the balcony of an apartment on the third floor of the building at 120 Garden Crescent before spreading to the roof and the adjacent apartment building, at 110 Garden Crescent.

Seven people ended up inhaling smoke, but only one had to be taken to hospital. And nearly 20 people needed help from the Canadian Red Cross after the fire.

Mason said she and her family lost everything that day. They're still looking for their beloved cat, Jay.

Mason isn't the only neighbour concerned that no alarm went off in the building. Judith Bricault said it was the alarm coming from the adjacent building that alerted her to the fire.

"I went outside to see if something was actually happening. I saw the flames from the third-floor balcony, so right away, I went inside the building to knock on doors to evacuate as many people as possible," she said, getting emotional as she recounted the harrowing experience.

Fire alarms recently serviced, inspected

Pyronitech owner Éric Savard told CBC News his company inspects the buildings' fire alarms once a year.

That includes testing the alarm in each apartment, checking the general building alarm and fire extinguishers.

He said 110 Garden Crescent was inspected on May 17 and 120 Garden Crescent on April 18.

He said he was there in August to fix what was setting off the alarms, but both buildings were up to code.

Lily Martin is a community organizer with a local tenants' rights group, the Table de Quartier Sud de l'Ouest de l'Île. She said her group has spoken with dozens of residents, and many were caught totally unaware.

"One tenant said she was in the shower while the building was burning down. And a firefighter came in to tell her to evacuate," she said.

Fire service investigating

Camille Bégin, a spokesperson for Montreal, said the fire alarm was ringing in building 120, where the fire started when firefighters arrived on the scene.

She said they can't confirm whether the alarm was triggered in the second building, 110, and officials are still investigating.

Annick Charest, a spokesperson for Dorval, said the building was in good standing as far as the city is concerned.

"The city has never had an issue with this property owner," she said, citing a recent brick-repair permit that was issued and the work was completed in a timely manner.

However, the building's compliance with Quebec's construction code falls under the jurisdiction of the Régie du bâtiment du Québec. And the fire service has the responsibility to conduct building inspections regarding fire prevention, she said.

Bégin said the fire service did inspections of 110 Garden Crescent in 2021 and 2022. The fire service was sent maintenance documents dated May 2023 which show functional and maintained fire alarm systems, she said.

CBC News reached out to the buildings' owner several times, but didn't hear back.