Three homes on a residential street in Laval’s Saint-François district were decimated by fire early last Monday morning, while eight people were rendered homeless in the blaze.
The outbreak, on des Amandiers St. near des Magnolias St. north of Lévesque Blvd. east, was first reported around 3:30 am at one of the houses Flames quickly spread to the other two, forcing Laval Fire Dept. personnel to call in second and third alarms.
Families living in the dwellings were evacuated and sheltered in a special STL bus called in for disasters. Although there were no reported injuries, damage was estimated at $550,000. Initial reports indicated that the blaze began on an outside balcony on one of the dwellings and may have been sparked by an item used for smoking.
On the scene around seven minutes after the fire was reported, the first of the firefighters decided to call in an additional 40 personnel after realizing the extent of the blaze. The fire was declared to be under control just before 5 am.
Two injured, one facing possible DUI charge, after Chomedey collision
One man was facing a possible charge of driving while under the influence following a spectacular collision involving three cars on Sept. 21 at the corner of Daniel Johnson and Saint-Martin boulevards in Chomedey.
Around noon, one of the drivers is said to have ignored a red light while making a turn.
The impact of the ensuing collision between the vehicles was enough to require the intervention of the Laval Fire Dept. to free one of the drivers caught in his vehicle’s wreck.
He was eventually liberated and was taken to hospital by Urgences-Santé. Another person also involved in the accident was placed in the care of the Urgences-Santé crew because of non-life threatening injuries, which nonetheless required some medical attention.
Al Sultan restaurant on Curé Labelle targeted by arson
The Al Sultan, a Middle Eastern-style restaurant familiar to many because of its strategic location on Curé Labelle Blvd. just north of the Cartierville bridge, became the focus of an arson investigation on Sept. 21 after an unidentified suspect tried to start a fire outside the establishment around 1:30 am.
Upon arrival, officers with the Laval Police determined there was only superficial damage to the restaurant’s exterior. The attack was the latest in a series of arson incidents against restaurants in Laval and in Montreal over the past one to two years, many of them operated by owners from the Lebanese community.
According to news reports this week, the Al Sultan had been the target of similar attacks at least three times since last spring.
Man arrested after allegedly firing gun into the air
A 29-year-old man faces charges after allegedly discharging a firearm into the air outside a Laval bar.
Jean-Élie L’Espérance was arrested and faces charges of possession of a restricted firearm, possession of a loaded restricted firearm, as well as having in his possession a prohibited device.
At the time of his arrest in Montreal, according to the Laval Police, L’Espérance was carrying a loaded 9 mm pistol.
Laval police said its officers made the arrest with assistance from the Montreal police department’s tactical squad. Anyone with information regarding L’Espérance, or any event related to firearms, is invited to call 9-1-1 or the Laval Police at 450-662-4636.
