Girl, 4, killed in basement blaze

Montreal firefighters discovered the child hiding under her bed

The death of a 4-year-old girl Friday morning following a fire in her family’s basement apartment in Montreal has fire safety experts pleading with parents to install smoke detectors and practise fire drills with their children.

The fire appears to have started in the kitchen of a basement apartment where a family of six — including a baby — was living. Although about 20 people made it out of the building unharmed, one little girl was found unconscious under a bed by a firefighter.

Paramedics rushed the girl to hospital shortly after 7 a.m., but her heart had stopped and she was not breathing, according to emergency medical service spokesperson Stephane Smith. The girl was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Fire Operations Chief Denis Roy said the fire was reported at about 6:35 a.m. When firefighters arrived from a fire station only three blocks away, they did not hear a smoke detector going off inside the basement apartment.

“Whether there was one or there wasn’t one, or whether it was working, this will all be part of the investigation,” he said.

They did hear an alarm sounding in another apartment in the building, which has nine apartments in total.

Roy said a family of six had been living in the basement dwelling, two adults and four young children.

The fire will be investigated by the Montreal police arson squad because their was a fatality, Constable Danny Richer said.

Fire Prevention Chief Marcel Deschamps said the tragedy should serve as a stark reminder to everyone, particularly parents, of the importance of ensuring there are working smoke detectors in each home.

Everyone should have an evacuation plan in case of fire, Deschamps added, and parents should rehearse their plan with all children over three years of age at least once a year.

Deschamps said the idea is not to scare kids, but to ensure that they are ready in case of an emergency.

“You don’t have to talk about this child’s death or the effects of inhaling toxic smoke, but you want it to become instinct for them to do the right thing if they see smoke. They should not ask questions, they should not go looking for mum and dad, they should go outside (to a prearranged meeting place) right away,” he said.