Five people are homeless after a fire in a three-storey apartment building in Pointe-Claire Christmas eve morning.
Fire crews were called to the 12-unit residential building on Delmar Avenue at 8:35 a.m. ET.
As firefighters arrived at the scene, smoke and flames could be seen coming out of a ground floor apartment located at the back of the building.
“The fire started in the kitchen…probably on the stove,” said Danny Ciavaglia, chief of operations for the Montreal Fire Department.
The fire then spread to other areas through the range’s ventilation hood, according to Ciavaglia.
There were no reports of injury, but officials said three apartments were destroyed.
Those apartments will need to be gutted and renovated,” Ciavaglia said. “But the good news is that there was no structural damage to the building.”
The five residents affected by the fire have been taken in charge by the Red Cross.
At least 60 firefighters were needed to put out the blaze and Ciavaglia credits a working alarm-system for the fire department’s swift response.
“It could have been much worse,” he said taking the opportunity to remind people to check that they have working smoke detectors in their homes.