Around 20 people are homeless after a fire tore through a three-storey residential building in Montreal’s Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough Saturday afternoon.
Fire Chief Benoît Martel said firefighters responded to the four-alarm blaze at noon on Sicard Street, near de Rouen Street.
“The first fireman on the scene said they saw the fire starting on the roof,” Martel said, adding it quickly spread to the third floor.
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Some 100 firefighters tackled the fire desperately trying to protect the neighbouring buildings.
Martel explained all three buildings are similar, each housing eight units.
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It took over three hours to bring the blaze under control.
No one was injured, but damage is estimated to be the hundreds of thousands, according to Martel.
“We’re sorry because we have a lot of damages caused by the fire and the water, so the water dripping down to the third, second and first floors and in the basement,” he said.
The Red Cross is assisting around 20 people, and a few pets, who lived in the eight affected units.
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“The residents cannot go back inside,” Martel said.
The cause of the fire is not yet known, but Martel said it does not appear suspicious.
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