A woman is in hospital in critical condition after a fire engulfed an apartment building in the Montreal off-island suburb of Saint-Eustache, Que.
Sebastien Laplante, director of the municipality’s Fire Safety Department, says the woman is currently in intensive care and two others have also been hospitalized after the blaze.
Officials say a total of 18 families had to be evacuated from the multi-dwelling building on Hector-Lanthier Street, including a father and his two young children that were trapped on their balcony and needed help from firefighters to escape.
They say the fire started on the second floor in the early morning and spread all the way to the roof due to high winds before being extinguished around 10 a.m.
The cause of the fire has not been determined, but Laplante says an investigation is underway.
Local police and several fire crews from neighbouring municipalities responded to the scene, and the Red Cross also assisted by providing families with clothing and shelter.