House fire leaves four homeless in Saint-François

A family on Simonet St. in Laval’s Saint-François district was left homeless in early August when a fire started in a bedroom and raged through the rest of the dwelling.

Thirty firefighters were on the scene within five minutes, along with officers from the Laval Police Dept. who re-routed traffic and provided assistance. Flames could be seen shooting from the windows of the one-storey building.

Damage was estimated at $125,000, including the building and its contents. The firefighters subsequently found there was a smoke detector in the house, although it wasn’t working.

LFD firefighter retires after 23 years

Laval Fire Dept. firefighter Christian Mirault will be retiring on Sept. 1 after more than 23 years of service. In a tweet on their Twitter account, the Association des Pompiers de Laval recently wished him all the best in his retirement years.

CHSLD nursing assistant charged with sex crimes

Investigators with the sex crimes unit of the Laval Police say they have arrested Abdeslam El Asri, age 55, as a suspect following investigations involving allegations of sexual assault.

El Asri, who was a nursing assistant in a CHSLD in Laval, is alleged to have committed sexual assaults against CHSLD employees in the work place from October 2022 and February 2023.

He was arraigned in early July at the Palais de Justice de Laval on three charges of sexual assault, but was released on bail and is due back in court on Sept. 27.

Anyone who believes they may have been a victim of El Asri is asked to call the Laval Police Dept.’s confidential Info Line at 450 662- INFO (4636) or 911. The dossier number is LVl-230320-075.