Police Now Involved In Investigation Of Massive Five-Alarm Fire In Montreal (VIDEO)
Over 150 firefighters were called to a fire in St. Henri yesterday morning in Montreal.
The five-alarm fire began in the second-floor apartment of a triplex on Marin Avenue, just west of Atwater Avenue, and quickly spread to three neighbouring buildings affecting 10 families.
The blaze took nearly seven hours for firefighters to get under control. With no apparent cause of the fire, Montreal police and its arson squad will be investigating.
A spokesman for the fire department has said that he believes there is reason to be suspicious but it is up to the arson squad to determine if it was a criminal act.
A neighbour called in the alarm at approximately 1:30 AM on Sunday morning. Photographer and videographer @NKquatre managed to capture the intensity of the blaze on camera. You can get an idea of the severity beginning at the :35 second mark above.
So far it looks like no one was hurt, but the damage to the buildings is extensive.
Fire at St Jacques and Atwater #Montreal #montrealfire https://t.co/XbaxU01tnX— Anne London (@Anne London) 1564897444.0
The homes where the fire spread may be habitable in the coming days but the triplex where it initially started may take months to be able to move back in - if they don't have to tear the structure down.
The fire was contained by 8:30 AM. The police were already on scene and had closed traffic off to St-Antoine and St-Jaques between Atwater and Rose de Lima.
The #SPVM collaborate with the Fire Department of Mtl. Close to traffic: St-Antoine and St-Jacques between Atwater… https://t.co/wumVW3xwFT— Police Montréal (@Police Montréal) 1564898969.0
The Red Cross is currently helping those families who have nowhere to go and need help to find housing.
If you would like to donate to The Red Cross, visit their site here or call 1-800-418-1111.
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