LaSalle Heights disaster
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (October 2012) |
| Date | March 1, 1965 |
|---|---|
| Time | 8:05 am |
| Location | LaSalle, Quebec, Canada |
| Coordinates | 45°25′58″N 73°39′17″W / 45.43278°N 73.65472°W |
| Cause | Gas explosion |
| Deaths | 28 |
| Non-fatal injuries | 39 |
The LaSalle Heights disaster occurred in the early morning of March 1, 1965 in the city of LaSalle, Quebec when a gas line explosion destroyed a number of low-cost housing units. In all, 28 people lost their lives, 39 were injured and 200 left homeless. Most of the casualties were women and children because many men had left for work. The casualties might have been higher had it not been the start of the month when many men left earlier than usual to pay their monthly rent at the rental office.
LaSalle Heights
LaSalle Heights is a suburban residential block of low income rental units located at the corner of rue Bergevin and rue Jean Milot in LaSalle, Quebec, on the Island of Montreal. It was constructed by LaSalle Heights Inc. in 1955 and 1956 at a cost of $5,300,000. In 1955 construction was announced and the site was expected to consist of 678 units (54 three bedroom houses in rows, 422 three bedroom apartments, 136 two bedroom apartments, 50 one bedroom apartments, and 16 bachelor apartments). Rents ranged from $30 a month to $57 a month and was available to families whose monthly income ranged between four and six times their rent. [1] The block consisted of 25 identical 'U' shaped buildings each housing 36 units of various sizes.
Explosion
At approximately 8:05am a six-inch fissure emerged in a natural gas supply line in the cellar of 367 rue Bergevin, destroying units in it along with those in buildings 365, 363 and 361. Approximately 36 units were affected. The explosion left a twenty foot deep crater where the three-story apartment building had stood. [2] [3]
Casualties
As of 10:00pm on the evening of the explosion Coroner Marcel Trahan released some names of the known dead. On March 3 a more complete list was released. At the time, four people were still missing and one deceased victim was unidentified. [2]
Deceased
0365 rue Bergevin
- Nancy McGuigan (née Margret Nancy Green) (age 31) and her children Gordon (age 12), Caroline (age 10), and Warren (age 13 months)
- Vera Peard (née Veronica Marion Costello) (age 39) and her children Kevin (age 2), Dianne (age 6), and Sharon (age 9)
- Mrs. Mary Czopko and her daughters Brenda (age 5) and Johanne (age 7)
- James Dyer (age 35) - a roomer with the Czopkos
- Jean Marc Thibeault (age 44) and Mrs. Jean Marc Thibeault (age 51)
- Mrs. Louis Bischoff (age 44)
0367 rue Bergevin
- Vera, Donna, and Anne-Marie Rehanek (age 8, 5, and 2 respectively)
- Emma Arsenault (age 50)
- Marielle Quesnel (age 33)
- Mrs. John Chalmers and her daughter Debra-Ann (age 3)
Other addresses
- Marc Fernando Doucet (9 months)
- Sandra Dawson (age 3) granddaughter of Emma Arsenault
- Sheila Jones (age 1)
- Gail Sylvia (age 16)
- Heather Sylvia (age 10)
- Donna Sylvia (age 4)
Injured
- Andrew Silver (age 2) - both legs fractured, arm fractured, partially fractured skull cuts [5]
- Danny Silver (age 8) - nose fracture, cuts
- Sharon Silver (age 10) - leg fracture, cuts
- Diane Silver (age 3) - under observation
- Laura Silver (age 4) - contusions
- Louis Lajoie (age 8) - contusions
- Mrs. Mary Czopko (age 32) - broken back (mistakenly declared dead on day of blast. Died on March 26, 1965)
- Norman Czopko (9 months) - legs fractured, contusions
- Gary Czopko - contusions
- Leean Jones (age 2) - contusions
- Susan Peard (age 13) - multiple fractures and contusions
- Mrs. James Ilacqua - cuts and contusions
- Mrs. James Dawes - contusions
- Albert Rehanek - burns and contusions
- Selma Ryce Rehanek - burns and cuts
- Antonio Ciarlo - contusions, burns, serious condition
- Helmute Wiet - multiple fractures, burns
- Wayne McGuigan(son of nancy age:3)had to break leg to get out of stairwell. Lived on to have 2 kids, Wayne jr Mcguigan and Justin HarQuail/McGuigan.(Died March 2003,Brampton Ont.)
An additional 23 injured were named in the March 3, 1965 Gazette but no additional details were provided.
50th Anniversary Commemoration
The Borough will be organizing a number of activities in 2015 to honour the victims' memory and convey to survivors that LaSalle residents remember this terrible tragedy that struck them:
- All LaSalle churches have been invited to commemorate the event as part of their Sunday service on March 1, which marks the exact date of the 50th anniversary. - A resolution will be adopted and a minute of silence observed during the Borough Council meeting on March 2, the day after the anniversary of this terrible tragedy. - The Borough has granted financial assistance of $3,000 to the Société historique Cavelier-de-LaSalle, to write a monograph on the LaSalle Heights Disaster. - This year, the Borough will be organizing an exhibition on the tragedy, including photos from archives and newspaper articles. - Also this year, LaSalle will be paying tribute to the victims by means of a commemorative designation at the very site of the explosion. [6]
References
- ^ https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=1UUjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dJkFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3831,4919592&dq=lasalle-heights&hl=en[dead link]
- ^ a b https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid%3DFr8DH2VBP9sC%26dat%3D19650303%26printsec%3Dfrontpage%26hl%3Den. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
{{cite web}}:|archive-date=requires|archive-url=(help); Missing or empty|title=(help); Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ CA. "Une explosion au gaz naturel tue 28 personnes - L'histoire de LaSalle - Le Messager LaSalle". Messagerlasalle.com. Retrieved 2012-10-17.
- ^ https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid%3DFr8DH2VBP9sC%26dat%3D19650304%26printsec%3Dfrontpage%26hl%3Den. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
{{cite web}}:|archive-date=requires|archive-url=(help); Missing or empty|title=(help); Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Andrew Silver
- ^ http://ville.montreal.qc.ca/portal/page?_pageid=5977,43117560&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL&id=24455