Family of Nathan Sears has applied for a class-action lawsuit against Airbnb, property owner, and operator
For Brittany Sears, the past two and a half weeks have been full of hope, confusion and overwhelming grief.
"My heart has carried more grief than I ever thought was possible."
Her brother, Nathan Sears, was one of the seven people who died after a fire ripped through a heritage building in Old Montreal on March 16. The 35-year old was staying at an Airbnb in the building during an academic conference.
"Nathan just seemed to excel in everything that he did and to take so much joy in all of the aspects of his life," Sears said, sitting in her parents home in Grand-Barachois, N.B.
Brittany Sears lost her brother Nathan in a fire that destroyed a heritage building in Old Montreal. Now her family has applied to file a class action seeking damages.
Brittany Sears lost her brother Nathan, 35, in the fire. Her family has applied to file a class action seeking damages from the property owner, short-term rental operator and Airbnb. (Sarah Leavitt/CBC)
"Of all of the people that I'm grieving for — myself, my parents, his wife, my son — the one who I'm grieving for the most is actually Nathan."
Now, her family has applied for a class action lawsuit seeking $22 million from the property owner, the short-term rental operator and Airbnb.
With the police investigation ongoing and a public inquiry to come, the families of those killed are looking for answers.
Nathan Sears was one of seven people who died in a fire that ravaged a Montreal heritage building in March. His sister, Brittany Sears, describes the agonizing days the family spent waiting for answers and closure.
Family of victims left with questions
The fire caused massive damage to the historic building, first built in 1890, leaving nothing but the facade intact, if precariously so.
Nine people managed to escape as the fire roared. At first, it was unclear who hadn't.
For two days, firefighters said only one person was missing, a long-time tenant of the building. It then became clear six others who had rented Airbnbs were also unaccounted for, including Nathan Sears.
His sister describes the chaotic days following the fire.
"That first 24-hour period was filled with confusion and disbelief, but also a lot of hope," she said. Hope that Nathan had somehow got out.
Nathan's wife travelled from Toronto, his parents from Spain and Brittany from the south of France.
"We collectively spent the next nine days in Montreal, essentially having a vigil at the site of the fire," Brittany said.
"At the beginning we were not aware of the fire, we were very worried but not hopeless," An's mother Qu told CBC in Mandarin, through an interpreter.
"Then we learned it was a fire, we panicked. Again and again we tried to reach her, to no avail. We were anxious as hell."
An Wu's parents, Fei Wu and Furong Qu, say they are angry about the fire that killed their daughter, and they want answers.
Fire alarms and Airbnbs
The Sears and Wu families both stood guard outside the building, anxiously watching firefighters and investigators do their work.
All the while, more and more information began to emerge about the building and the fire.
Alina Kuzmina and her husband were staying in an Airbnb there that night, and they describe waking up due to the bright orange flames lapping at their door. They say no fire alarms went off.
Inside, several Airbnbs were being rented, illegal in that part of Old Montreal. Following the fire, Airbnb said it would remove any short-term listings without a provincial permit.
a building engulfed in flames and smoke with firefighters
A CBC report found that, prior to going up in flames, the building — located near the corner of Place d'Youville and St-Nicolas Street — was considered "a fire trap" by worried renters.
The family of 18-year-old Charlie Lacroix, another victim, describes her call to 911 that night, where she said she was in a room without any windows.
"We were just trying to grab little glimmers of information, little pieces of the puzzle, because that information was a lifeline for us," said Brittany.
An Wu's parents were met with culture shock and a language barrier; quickly, members of the Chinese community gathered around them to help.
"We have shed many, many tears these days, this hurts so, so much," said Wu.
- Prior to going up in flames, Old Montreal building was considered 'fire trap' by worried renters
- Here's what we know about the victims in the Old Montreal fire
Wu was told his daughter was found in her bed and died from smoke inhalation. The Sears family was also told Nathan died of smoke inhalation.
The Quebec government announced Tuesday it will hold a public inquiry into the fire. Montreal police have not yet completed their investigation.
No matter what answers come out of these investigations, the families say, nothing will ever be enough to recover from this tragedy.
