Montreal

L'Isle-Verte fire chief Yvan Charron steps down from post

The man who was at the helm of the volunteer fire service in L'Isle-Verte the night of the deadly seniors' home fire has stepped down.

Charron was fire chief of the small municipality for nearly two decades

L’Isle-Verte Fire Chief Yvan Charron had already been considering retirement before the tragedy, according to the Rivière-du-Loup fire chief. (Catou Mackinnon/CBC)

The fire chief of L'Isle-Verte has stepped down.

Yvan Charron was at the helm of the town's volunteer service when a fire broke out at the Résidence Du Havre in January 2014. He had served as chief of the L'Isle-Verte service for nearly two decades.

A Quebec coroner criticized Charron for his team's response to the fire that tore through the building, killing 32 people.

Cyrille ​Delâge's report questioned several decisions made by Charron, including his failure to immediately call for back-up and set up a command post on site.

Earlier this month, L'Isle-Verte ceded its jurisdiction and now the Rivière-du-Loup fire department is in charge of fire safety.

Rivière-du-Loup Fire Chief Eric Bérubé said he would have welcomed Charron onto his team.

"He withstood a storm, and stayed standing for a year afterwards," he said of Charron.

Bérubé said Charron had already been considering retirement before the tragedy and wants to spend more time with his family.