‘Wall of fire’ engulfed bar that has become ground zero for Quebec rail disaster that killed at least five people

Graeme Hamilton | 13/07/07 | Last Updated: 13/07/07 8:46 PM ET

People watch relief operations on July 7, 2013 in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, Canada, one day after a train derailment and subsequent explosion and fire. Five bodies of victims have been recovered in Quebec from the catastrophic derailment of an oil-laden cargo train, but 40 people are missing and the toll is expected to rise, Canadian officials said.

François Laplante-DelagraveFrançois Laplante-Delagrave/AFP/Getty ImagesPeople watch relief operations on July 7, 2013 in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, Canada, one day after a train derailment and subsequent explosion and fire. Five bodies of victims have been recovered in Quebec from the catastrophic derailment of an oil-laden cargo train, but 40 people are missing and the toll is expected to rise, Canadian officials said.

Graeme Hamilton / National PostThe bar that was Yannick Gagné's pride – “even in Montreal and Quebec City, there weren’t places like that,” he said – is rubble and, he fears, a graveyard.

LAC-MÉGANTIC – For Yannick Gagné, Friday had been a perfect day at the Musi-Café, the popular downtown bar and restaurant he owns. There was a steady stream of customers, including Christian Paradis, the local MP and federal cabinet minister, who stopped by for lunch. Music was on tap that night, with chansonniers Yvon Ricard and Guy Bolduc performing. A group of 20 friends were celebrating a birthday.
“It was a beautiful day,” Mr. Gagné said in an interview Sunday.

Shortly after 1 a.m. Saturday, in the space of a few seconds, the beauty would be transformed into unimaginable horror. And his bar would become ground zero for a rail disaster that levelled the core of this lakeside town.

Mr. Gagné, 35, had left his bar at about 12:30 to relieve his babysitter at his home less than a kilometer away. About 15 minutes later, he told his wife, who had been collecting the cover charge for the show, to pack it in. They were preparing for bed when the sky lit up and a gust of scorching air blew through their open window.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan RemiorzThe downtown core lays in ruins as fire fighters continue

to water smoldering rubble Sunday, July 7, 2013 in Lac Megantic, Quebec after a train derailed

ignited tanker cars carrying crude oil.

He ran out in sandals and jeans to see if he could help but got one block before being turned back. “People told me, ‘Yannick, go home. It’s train cars that are exploding, and we don’t know what’s inside. It could be hazardous substances. Collect your family and get out.’
”

François Laplante-Delagrave/AFP/Getty ImagesFirefighters douse blazes after a freight train loaded with oil derailed in Lac-Megantic in Canada's Quebec province on July 6, 2013, sparking explosions that engulfed about 30 buildings in fire.

As he was clearing out, he answered his phone to hear the panicked voice of one of his waitresses who had been working on the patio when the oil-laden freight train derailed and exploded less than 20 metres away. “She was screaming that there was fire everywhere. I didn’t understand,” he said. “I said, ‘Get out of the restaurant. Leave everything there. It’s okay. We’ll gather things tomorrow and lock up later.’ ”

The waitress escaped, but Mr. Gagné now knows there is nothing to gather, nothing to lock up. The bar that was his pride – “even in Montreal and Quebec City, there weren’t places like that,” he said – is rubble and, he fears, a graveyard. Three of his waitresses were inside at the time of the crash and have not been heard from. One of the singers, Mr. Ricard, was outside for a smoke and survived, but the other, Mr. Bolduc, is missing.

When Mr. Gagné left the bar, there were about 50 customers inside and 30 on the patio. Some would have gone home before the derailment, but dozens remained. “They won’t find anyone [alive],” he said. “It’s impossible. People are waiting for news, but a fire at that temperature, nothing remains. It melts cars.”

Provincial police confirmed five deaths as of Sunday afternoon and pegged the number of missing at roughly 40.

François Laplante-Delagrave/AFP/Getty ImagesWreckage continues to burn on July 7, 2013 after a

freight train loaded with oil derailed July 6 in Lac-Megantic in Canada's Quebec province, sparking

explosions that engulfed about 30 buildings in a wall of fire.

On Sunday Mr. Gagné visited the crisis centre established at the local high school, where residents of the town of 6,000 arrive with the faint hope that a missing loved one has surfaced. The scene was punctuated by the sobs of people discovering the news was not good. The babysitter he had relieved early Saturday walked by and they exchanged choked greetings. “Her mother was at the bar,” he said. “She is missing. There are connections everywhere. It’s unbelievable. As I talk to you, I get goose-bumps.”

Graeme Hamilton / National PostBernard Théberge’s right arm was covered in bandages Sunday, the result of second-degree burns he suffered after the explosion.

Bernard Théberge’s right arm was covered in bandages Sunday, the result of second-degree burns he suffered after the explosion. He had been smoking a cigarette on the Musi-Café patio when he heard an infernal noise and saw the darkened train arriving at full speed.

“The fire started very quickly,” he said. He was briefly paralyzed by indecision. “For a few seconds, I said, ‘There are people inside. What should we do? Do we go in after them?’ ” He looked around back to see if people had escaped there but could not get within 20 metres of the building. “There was a wall of fire,” he said. “The heat was too intense. I realized people were not going to get out.”

He spent much of the night watching the fire from a safe distance before seeking medical attention the next day. Five or six of his friends were inside the bar and have not been heard from.

Mario Ducharme, 38, had been visiting friends in an apartment next to the Musi-Café Friday night but left half an hour before the derailment to visit another friend just down the street. The half-dozen friends he left behind are missing.

He described a 5-metre-high “wall of fire” stretching across the street when he emerged from his friend’s place after being alerted to the fire. “I thought it was the end of the world,” he said. “We could hear the train cars cracking from the heat.”

He saw a man running back toward the Musi-Café because he believed his girlfriend was inside. “A fireman and I grabbed him to pull him away,” he said. “I took him, and said, ‘Look. I’m sorry, but your girlfriend is dead. You have to get out. At least save your life.’ He left, but then he fell to his knees and cried.”

Patrick Madore, 29, was out for a bike ride with his girlfriend, his sister and another friend early Saturday. They had just crossed the train tracks running through downtown. They heard the train before they saw it. There were no lights and the signal at the crossing did not activate.

“You could tell from the sound that it was going too fast,” Mr. Madore said. “You could hear the sparks. It was just like in a movie. . . . I was sure it was going to crash.”

A group of his sister Joëlle’s co-workers from the Masonite International door factory were inside the bar for a party to celebrate the beginning of summer vacation. “There are three of my friends that we are sure died,” Mr. Madore said.

François Laplante-Delagrave/AFP/Getty ImagesFirefighters continue to pour water July 7, 2013 on the

wreckage of a freight train loaded with oil that derailed July 6 in Lac-Megantic in Canada's Quebec

province, sparking explosions that engulfed about 30 buildings in a wall of fire. Now scores of people

-- perhaps as many as 80 -- are missing. Rescuers cautiously entered the charred debris Sunday, more

than 24 hours after the spectacular crash that saw flames shoot into the sky and burn into the night. The accident and resulting huge fireball forced 2,000 people from their homes.

But they are also mourning for the town they love. Thirty buildings have been destroyed and Veterans Park resembles a scorched battlefield.

“We would keep saying what a beautiful town we had,” Ms. Madore said. “They had fixed up everything. There was a new park, a new sports centre, and now a large part of it is gone.”
“We said we were lucky,” her brother added. “And now it is carnage.”

Mr. Gagné said he is doing his best to comfort his grieving employees, a number of whom sat red-eyed under a tree outside the crisis centre Sunday. “The only thing I can do is take them in my arms, tell them I love them,” he said. “I can’t do more than that.”

Healing the town is not going to be any easier. “I think I know my town pretty well. I know there are a lot of strong people, a lot of powerful businessmen with dreams who are able to do a lot. But the task ahead of us is too immense,” he said. “We are going to need a lot of help.”