Commemorating a Tragedy

Vigil Marks the 39th Anniversary of the Blue Bird Café Fire

NewsAdam Kovac — Published September 4, 2011

Older and grayer, survivors, friends and family of those who perished in the second-worst fire in Montreal’s history came back to the site of the Blue Bird Café, where an act of arson claimed 37 lives almost four decades ago.

“I’m going to be 39 in December, and it’s the 39th anniversary today,” said Sharon Share, who organized the vigil. “Year after year, looking in the media, nothing’s been happening. It’s time that something’s been done and remembered.”

Share lost her father Jerry in the fire, months before she was born. She started a Facebook page in 2008, with the goal of getting the city to recognize the spot with some kind of official memorial. That page evolved into plans for the candlelit vigil, with family members lighting candles for their lost loved ones, and more candles in the shape of the number 37.

Heather Lowengren was one of the last people to get out of the building. She had been at the Blue Bird to celebrate her 21st birthday, and turned 60 on the night of the vigil. “I’d like to see at least a small memorial with the names of the people,” she said. “I didn’t lose anybody, but it really affected my life. It’s time. Next year, I’m 61, and I’d like to see at least a plaque.”

While the mood was somber, many there shared the frustration at the lack of a formal memorial marking the spot, with some comparing it to other tragedies in Montreal that have monuments, such as the École Polytechnique shooting that left 10 women dead in December 1989. “We heard about this and thought it would be kind of nice that they could have some kind of memorial put up here,” said Heather Breedy, whose brother Larry died in the fire. “The lives of 37 people [ended], and the city hasn’t really done anything. [They should] put a plaque, at least.”

In July, The Gazette reported that the director of the Culture and Heritage Division at the City of Montreal, Jean-Robert Choquet, had promised to look at options for a memorial in September, but as of now, there have been no reports of any definite plans.