2 men arrested in connection with Old Montreal fire that killed a mother and daughter

Montreal police say they have arrested two suspects in connection with a major building fire in Old Montreal that killed two people last week.

A suspicious fire broke out in a three-storey, 100-year-old building on Notre-Dame Street last Friday around 2:30 a.m.

The building housed a restaurant on the main floor and a hostel upstairs.

Léonor Geraudie, 43, and her seven-year-old daughter Vérane Reynaud-Geraudie, both from France, died in the blaze.

According to police, there were 25 people inside the building at the time of the fire. They said 23 made it out.

Police are expected to hold a news conference at 3 p.m. ET. CBC News will livestream the conference in this story.

WATCH | 1st security video that showed masked person:

Security footage shows masked person breaking into Old Montreal building

7 days ago

Duration 0:53

Security footage obtained by Radio-Canada shows a hooded person wearing all-black clothing and a mask kicking in the restaurant's side door minutes before the fire broke out.

Since the deadly fire, Radio-Canada has obtained two videos from a security camera overlooking the front of the restaurant. The first one shows a masked person breaking into the building through its main floor, minutes before the fire broke out.

Two days later, another video emerged showing a person leaving the building, with the fire burning on the main floor. The person then takes out a phone and seems to capture images of the fire before leaving the scene.

Police have declined to comment on the videos, adding they would not publicize details about the cause of the fire and search for possible suspects.

On Tuesday, Quebec's chief coroner ordered a public inquiry into the deaths of the two victims of last week's fire. It's the second coroner's inquiry into a suspicious fire at an Old Montreal building in just over a year and a half.

In March 2023, a fire in a building on Place D'Youville killed seven people. Both buildings at the heart of the inquiries are owned by Émile-Haim Benamor.

Given their similarities, Coroner Géhane Kamel, who is presiding over both inquiries, could eventually decide to combine them.