The SPVQ is investigating a fire that caused extensive damage to a residential and commercial building in Saint-Roch and forced the evacuation of about twenty people early Tuesday in Quebec City.
Several calls were made to the emergency services at 4:02 am to report the presence of smoke and a smell of burning in the building at 330 rue Saint-Roch.
The fire broke out on the third and last floor and then spread to the roof and affected it extensively.
Guy Martel/QMI Agency
One of the first things the firefighters did when they arrived was to evacuate the twenty or so residents, some of whom were being cared for by the Red Cross.
The building was not equipped with a central alarm system, according to Alexandre Lajoie, spokesman for the Quebec Fire Protection Service (SPCIQ).
Some units had smoke detectors and others didn’t. Thus, the firefighters woke up several tenants who were unaware of the progressing disaster.
Guy Martel/QMI Agency
One person was bothered by the smoke and made his way to a hospital. Another person was evacuated from the roof of an adjacent building where they had taken shelter.
No injuries are reported.
A fourth alert was raised for a total of 65 firefighters who took part in the operation.
The damage caused by the flames, but especially by the water, is considerable in this 1940s building.
Guy Martel/QMI Agency
The microbrewery La Barberie, whose main activities are concentrated in the neighboring building, also suffered damage to its cellar, which is located in front of the building where the fire broke out.
“We had water damage to our cold store and then to the basement. The bar and brasserie part were not affected at all,” said Bastien Têtu, brewer and manager of this establishment in the Saint-Roch district.
At the time of writing these lines in the late morning, she was not yet able to estimate the extent of the damage because the building was not yet accessible due to the ongoing investigation.
He rushed to the scene around 6am this morning after hearing news of the fire. “I saw the person who reported the fire. Her cat woke her up. He saw fire in the hall when he opened the door and I think he went to the roof,” he says.
The fire was brought under control around 8 a.m. and the fire brigade carried out spread checks.
The fire department transferred the investigation to the Quebec City Police Department to determine the cause of the fire and determine if the origin could be criminal. The investigation has only just begun and the police have to interview many witnesses before deciding on various hypotheses that are circulating.
In particular, victims have raised the possibility that the fire could have been started – willingly or accidentally – by a squatter in the stairwell at the rear of the building.
– with the collaboration of Jean-Luc Lavallée