A building under renovations at the corner of Westmore Avenue and Sherbrooke Street had to be demolished on Thursday when workers noticed it was unstable.
With support from the borough and the fire department, the building was demolished, said Montreal Chief of Fire Safety and Inspection Louise Desrosiers.
Desrosiers told Global News that the contractor thought the building was at risk of collapsing, so they tore it down for the safety of the neighborhood.
The renovation project had received a permit from the borough of Côte-des-Neiges–NDG.
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No one was injured in the operation but several tenants in a building next door will not be allowed to return home until the debris and construction material have been cleared, which are currently blocking one of the building’s entrances.
Desrosiers said she hopes it will soon be cleared.
“No one will be allowed to return until it is safe,” she told Global News.
At 9 p.m. Thursday Montreal police spokesperson Caroline Chèvrefils said that Sherbooke Street between West Broadway Street and Elmhurst Avenue, which had been closed off to traffic due to the demotion, had since reopened.
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