Two of the three defendants were convicted of second-degree murder, the third manslaughter.
In the aftermath of the fire, regulations throughout Canada were strengthened to provide for more avenues of escape. They were arrested in Vancouver, British Columbia two weeks later. Eccles was arrested and a manhunt was on for Boutin and O'Brien. Police and firefighters found bodies in the washrooms, huddled in a corner that had no exit, and jammed in a rear section of the club close to a back entrance.
While it was originally reported that 42 people had died, later investigation determined that 37 people succumbed and perished as smoke and fire overtook the bar. The fire was brought under control by 2:30 a.m., and extinguished by daybreak. At the time, the wearing of self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) was a relatively new practice and not as common among firefighters as it is today. Five firefighters would be injured by smoke inhalation before the fire was declared out. Īt its peak, the fire was fought by more than 50 firefighters. With the bar's main exit aflame and its sole fire exit blocked, patrons were forced to use one of two escape routes: either through the kitchen onto a folding fire escape (the emergency exit was chained) or by climbing through a window in the women's restroom and dropping some 20 feet onto a parked car. However, conflicting city building codes and fire regulations had left the upstairs bar with too few fire exits for its capacity of patrons. With the primary escape route blocked by the fire advancing upward toward the crowded bar, its patrons sought out other exits. The entire bar was in flames within a few minutes, according to police. "It was either a Molotov cocktail or gasoline spread on the stairs and then ignited," said Montreal Police Inspector Armand Chaille. Upset by this, Gilles Eccles, James O’Brien and Jean-Marc Boutin set a fire on the staircase that served as the only regular entrance or exit for the Wagon Wheel's customers. Around 10:45 PM, three young men (initial reports said four) were refused entry to the upstairs bar, as they appeared excessively intoxicated. On the evening of Friday, September 1, 1972, the beginning of the Labour Day weekend, more than 200 people were at the bar celebrating. There was lots of pitch black smoke and then a lot of heat and a lot of yellow light.