Last two victims of Montreal fire ID’d

All seven victims of a deadly March 16 fire in Old Montreal have been identified, police said Tuesday as the focus of the investigation shifted to what caused the blaze.

The remains of Charlie Lacroix and Walid Belkahla, both 18, were found in the rubble of the threestorey heritage building Monday, Montreal police Insp. David Shane told reporters. He said they are the final two victims to be formally identified by the coroner’s office.

Shane said dogs specialized in finding victims in rubble went through the scene multiple times Saturday, Sunday and Monday, and they detected no trace of victims other than those found. “So at this stage, we confirm that for us, there are no more victims in the rubble,” he said.

Martin Guilbault, a division chief with the Montreal fire department, said the investigation has been led by police since Friday, but the fire department will continue to support the police as needed.

“The most important part of our work, the search for victims is now complete,” he told the news conference.

“Today and in the next few days, all our efforts will focus on finding the cause of the fire.”