The Old Montreal building that erupted in flames, leaving seven people dead last March, was flagged repeatedly for fire safety violations in the years leading up to the incident.
Documents obtained by CBC News under access-to-information legislation show the owner, Emile Benamor, had a history of violations starting in 2009, shortly after he bought the historic greystone located at the intersection of Place d’Youville and Saint-Nicolas.
Problems persisted at the building over the next decade, according to inspection reports by the Service de sécurité incendie de Montréal.
In May 2018, Cynthia MacDougall, a fire inspector, found 10 violations during a visit to the building, including the
