More than 12 hours after the fire started, firefighters are still trying to control the blaze at the historic Bon-Pasteur Chapel on Sherbrooke Street East in Montreal.
• Also read: Great fire in Montreal: The historic Chapelle du Bon-Pasteur burns down
They spent the night fighting relentlessly against the flames. At around 7 a.m. on Friday morning, at least 150 firefighters and around forty vehicles were still on duty at the scene of the fire.
Screenshot, TVA news
An eighty-year-old was also transported to a hospital because of nocturnal hypothermia. The circumstances that led to this hospitalization are not yet known.
Two smaller collapses were also registered in the building.
Screenshot, TVA news
“We are still in the process of bringing the fire under control. We had a partial collapse at the bell tower level and at the roof level, the right section that had also partially collapsed,” explains Émilie Barbeau Charlebois, department manager at the Montreal Fire Safety Service.
In her opinion, the nature of the building’s architecture makes the work of firefighters more difficult.
Screenshot, TVA news
Inside the building, which is still emitting smoke, are a retirement home, Héritage Montréal offices and a concert hall.
The cause that led to this fire is still unknown.
Screenshot, TVA news
air quality
However, Montreal is on an air quality warning due to higher than usual air pollution levels from the Chapelle du Bon-Pasteur fire.
To prevent residents from inhaling too much smoke, surrounding buildings had to turn off their ventilation.