Masked person seen breaking into Old Montreal building minutes ...

A major fire that broke out in a building in Old Montreal early Friday morning is being investigated by the Montreal police major crimes unit.

Police confirmed Friday evening that at least two people had died in the fire. Radio-Canada sources say the victims were a mother and her seven-year-old daughter, who were French nationals.

Police say the fire, which started around 2 a.m. in the building at the corner of Notre-Dame and Bonsecours streets, is suspicious in nature. Security camera footage obtained by Radio-Canada shows a person breaking into the building minutes before the fire broke out. 

The fire continued to smoulder into the afternoon, completely destroying the three-storey, 100-year-old building which housed a restaurant on the main floor and a hostel above. 

"Some fatalities are unfortunately expected," said Montreal police Insp. David Shane, adding police could also not yet confirm the number of people inside the building at the time of the fire.

WATCH | Witnesses describe seeing huge flames:

The fire broke out on the main floor of the building on Notre-Dame Street. Flames quickly spread, triggering a five-alarm fire. At least two people are dead and one is in critical condition.

The fire broke out on the main floor of the building and the flames quickly spread, triggering a five-alarm fire. About 125 firefighters and 50 trucks worked to extinguish the flames.

Police did not confirm its cause but said the force's major crimes unit is working closely with the arson squad on the case.

The security camera footage shows a hooded person wearing all-black clothing and a mask approaching the building. The person can be seen kicking in the restaurant's side door and entering the building.

Montreal police said they would not comment on the footage. They said the investigation was ongoing and encouraged people not to spread information that could interfere.

Anyone with information about the fire should get in touch with police, Shane said.

He said firefighters are working to secure the building so that searches can be conducted through the rubble "in order to find any potential victims and evidence."

Police have set up a victim support centre and are urging anyone who believes their loved one may have been in the building at the time of the fire to call 514-280-1294. 

Thomas Sawer, a tourist from Germany, was staying in the hostel for just one night when he was jolted awake by the sounds of the building's fire alarms. 

He said smoke was already circulating in the building as he made his way out.

"I thought, 'This can't be a drill, this has to be real so I went down, but I don't know if I felt safe, honestly," he told CBC News in an interview. 

Sawer said his room was small, had no windows and barely any furniture. "I felt like I'm in a shoebox, honestly." 

He said he feels lucky he made it out when he did, because once on the street, he describes seeing "an explosion" in the building, which is when the flames erupted. 

Crammed, no windows, say hostel reviewers

Municipal tax records show the owner of the building is Émile-Haim Benamor, who also owned the building on Place D'Youville in Old Montreal where seven people died in a fire in March 2023.

Property records show that the building on Notre-Dame was constructed in 1923. Those records also show that in 2021, Benamor requested a $10,000 permit to build a "20-room hotel" there. The restaurant and hostel that were operating before the fire have different people listed as their owners.

Photos of the hostel, Le 402, on booking websites show exposed brick walls, a shared lounge and rooms with a city view. 

Some comments, however, describe the accommodations as crammed and rundown. Multiple reviewers also report bedrooms without windows or windows that wouldn't open. 

Martin Guilbault, a division chief with the Montreal fire department, told reporters that fire inspectors had visited the building in the spring of 2023 and had found an absence of fire alarms and smoke detectors, but on a new visit in the spring of 2024, those issues had been fixed. 

"The building was compliant, according to our information," he said. However, he specified that inspectors had visited the address of the restaurant inside the building, but did not say if the inspection also included the hostel upstairs.  

WATCH | Police say investigation is ongoing:

Montreal police say a major fire that broke out in a building in Old Montreal early Friday morning is suspicious in nature and is being investigated by the major crimes unit.

Guilbault said the fire department had no information to suggest there were bedrooms without windows inside the building.

CBC News reached out to Benamor's lawyer on Friday morning. He declined to comment. 

Approximately 40 people from an adjacent building were forced out and are being supported by the Red Cross. 

Montreal police said last year that the March 2023 fire at the building on Place D'Youville was intentionally set. Inspectors had flagged a number of fire safety violations at that building, including a lack of smoke detectors and problems with its fire escape. The building hosted Airbnbs, which were illegal in the area.