A disused building known to house homeless people was devastated by an arson attack on Saturday evening, in Saint-Jérôme, in the Laurentians.
Police officers on patrol noticed, around 10:17 p.m., that a fire broke out in a building near the Sainte-Paule church. The building was completely destroyed by the flames, so much so that a mechanical shovel was busy throwing down the last vestiges still standing on Sunday morning.
Photo Agence QMI, Pascal Girard
Authorities attempted to determine overnight Saturday-Sunday whether anyone might have been inside the building at the time of the fire, but no bodies appear to have been found in the building.
Photo Agence QMI, Pascal Girard
Saint-Jérôme police have opened an investigation into the fire, which is believed to be of criminal origin, although the exact cause was not immediately specified.
Photo Agence QMI, Pascal Girard
The building was located right next to the Sainte-Paule church, which was acquired by the City of Saint-Jérôme and transformed into a homeless shelter in 2020.
Photo Agence QMI, Pascal Girard
About twenty homeless people have taken up residence in Henri-Daoust Park, adjacent to the old church. The appearance of this camp coincides with the closure of the community organization Book Humanitaire, learned TVA Nouvelles.
This organization, which helped regarding 80 homeless people, had to resign itself to closing its drop-in center on 1is October, following receiving an eviction notice, CIME radio reported.
The homeless fear that the fire will stir up tensions with the police, who have already received around thirty statements of offense.
“I think it will maybe harden the tone, unfortunately, over the next few days, maybe the next few hours. Let’s hope not, ”commented a homeless person at the microphone of TVA Nouvelles.
