Coroner orders inquest into fatal Old Montreal fire that left 2 French citizens dead

MONTREAL — Quebec’s chief coroner has ordered a public inquest into the fatal Old Montreal fire last week that claimed the lives of two French nationals.

Police identified the victims as 43-year-old Léonor Geraudie and seven-year-old Vérane Reynaud Geraudie, both of France.

They were killed after fire swept through a building in Old Montreal early Friday morning and their bodies were removed from the scene that evening.

Chief coroner Reno Bernier says in a news release the inquiry will be overseen by Géhane Kamel, the same coroner who was assigned to investigate the March 2023 fire in Old Montreal that killed seven people.