Downtown Montreal fire was an arson, police say

Montreal firefighters were called to a fire Friday afternoon in a downtown building that the police are calling an arson.

The fire began at 2:45 p.m. in a four-storey century-old building on Lucien-L’Allier Street and Argyle Avenue that was vacant and under renovation. The blaze began as a 1-alarm fire but escalated to a 2-alarm.

Montreal police spokesperson Const. Caroline Chèvrefils said investigators have determined that the fire was set on a pile of wood inside the building.

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Seventy-five firefighters were called to the scene to extinguish the blaze as heavy smoke quickly filled the neighborhood around the Bell Centre.

By 7 p.m., Montreal’s fire department said they had contained the blaze.

Fire department spokesperson Matthew Griffith said there were no injuries.

The case has been transferred to the Montreal police arson unit for investigation. Police say there are no suspects at this time.

1:51 70 firefighters called to Lachine fire that left 2 dead, 1 in critical condition