Up And Down Beirut
A 50-year-old woman is dead following a fire at a homeless encampment in Montreal North borough Wednesday morning.
Montreal police (SPVM) received a 911 call around 5 a.m. reporting a fire at the encampment located near the intersection of De Charleroi Street and Lacordaire Boulevard.
Upon arrival, police officers found the 50-year-old woman unconscious at the scene.
“She was transported to hospital in critical condition where she was later pronounced dead,” said SPVM spokesperson Jeanne Drouin. Police didn’t specify the exact reasons for her death.
Firefighters were called to the scene, but the blaze had been extinguished before their arrival, Drouin added.
The cause of the fire is unknown. Investigators from the arson unit are expected to visit the scene to determine the circumstances leading to the incident.
A spokesperson for the Quebec Coroner confirmed to CityNews that the office has opened an investigation to determine the cause of death.
A 50 year-old-woman died after a fire at a homeless encampment in Montreal North on Oct. 7, 2026 (Zachary Cheung, CityNews)
Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada reacted to the incident calling it a tragic reminder for acting on the homelessness crisis.
“It is not normal to see Montrealers dying on our streets,” Martinez Ferrada said. “When we leave people to fend for themselves, the consequences affect our entire society. Inaction takes its toll and undermines our solidarity, our cohesion, and our ability to care for one another.”
Martinez Ferrada announced that she will unveil her “winter warmth plan” on Thursday, aimed at helping people experiencing homelessness during the cold season. She plans to use this opportunity to present an “initial request to the new Quebec government to ensure its implementation.”
Encampment area where a 50 year-old-woman died after a fire in Montreal North on Oct. 7, 2026 (Zachary Cheung, CityNews)
Quebec premier-designate, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon also reacted to the incident. Posting on X, St-Pierre Plamondon said that his new administration will provide emergency funding for shelters and winter warming spaces.
“As premier, I am making the fight against homelessness a personal matter,” he said. “It will be our priority as a government to intervene.”
“We will act decisively to prevent this kind of tragic event from happening again,” he added.
During the election campaign—which resulted in his election as head of a minority PQ government— St-Pierre Plamondon pledged to cut the number of homeless people in half within four years and to invest $1 billion to achieve this goal.
Within the first 100 days of his term, he hopes to allocate a special budget for homelessness before the cold weather sets in.
