The Sûreté du Québec (SQ) has confirmed that a 94-year-old woman who suffered serious burns in a suspicious fire at a seniors home in Terrebonne early Sunday morning, has died.
The fire at the Oasis residence on St-Louis Street was reported at around 1:30 a.m.
Emergency services were dispatched to the scene and upon arrival, crews confirmed there was indeed a fire and proceeded to evacuate the building.
Several residents were seen on their balconies calling for help.
Firefighters and emergency crews were quickly able to help the home’s 43 residents escape the inferno.
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A total of 12 residents were taken to hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation.
However, one resident, a 94-year-old woman was rushed to hospital with serious burns.
Capt. Benôit Bilodeau with Terrebonne police said they feared for her life. The woman’s death was confirmed Sunday afternoon.
Some 70 firefighters from Terrebonne and neighbouring communities were called in to battle the blaze.
The building was heavily damaged and after a preliminary analysis of the scene, firefighters discovered elements indicating the fire is of a “suspicious nature,” Bilodeau said in a written statement.
A spokesperson for the provincial minister responsible for seniors told Global News that sprinklers were installed in the building but had yet to be tested.
It is unclear if they were functioning when the fire broke out, which is something investigators will likely try to determine during the course of their investigation.
In 2015, the Quebec government made it mandatory for all seniors homes in the province to be equipped with automatic sprinklers, following a deadly fire at a residence for the elderly in Isle-Verte that killed 32 people.
However, residences were given five years to bring the buildings up to code.
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Terrebonne police were initially in charge of the investigation, but it has since been handed over to provincial police.
The cause is not yet known.
— With files from The Canadian Press