“It was horrible and traumatic,” said one tenant, who quickly fled the scene, taking her three pets, two cats and a dog, with her. Céline Lambert fled to her sister, who lives in Pierreville, but returned on Sunday morning to take possession of some personal belongings, including her medication.
All residents of the building were contacted by the city housing authority on Sunday to do the same. The accommodation at 305 Léocadie-Bourgeois will then be barricaded as a security measure for continuing work after a disaster. Tenants of 325 who were not affected by the fire or water attack are expected to be able to return to their homes on Tuesday once running water is restored.
The building on Rue Léocadie-Bourgois consists of two adjacent addresses separated by a firewall. For those in 305, they will have to wait longer because everything but the scaffolding needs to be replaced, according to Martin Provencher, Nicolet's fire protection director. Significant damage was caused as firefighters worked to contain the fire, which spread to the roof.
A total of sixteen HLM-type social housing units were evacuated. Of these, at least four houses were severely damaged by fire and smoke. Three of the households affected by the evacuation were looked after by the Red Cross over the next few days, while others found refuge with relatives and friends.
This is the case of Luc Blanchard, who was busy restoring an antique late in the evening when the disaster occurred. After calling emergency help, he quickly made his way to the neighboring Saint-Grégoire sector in Bécancour, where his son was able to temporarily accommodate him. On Sunday morning, the man, who has lived in the same building for 23 years, had already contacted his insurance company to receive compensation.
The origin of fire
The fire, believed to be accidental in origin, broke out around 10:30 p.m. The fire broke out on an outside balcony where a smoke shelter with an electrically operated additional heater had been built. From there, Luc Blanchard saw sparks coming out as he contacted emergency dispatch after the fire alarm went off.
The head of the Nicolet fire service, Martin Provencher, confirms the hypothesis that when the balcony door was opened, the flames hit the interior of the living quarters on the first floor and then spread to the upper floors. “If the flames are high, that is very plausible. “Especially if the flame has a good intensity, it is certain that it wants to get in,” estimates the specialist.
According to Nicolet city spokesman Sébastien Turgeon, the general alarm was quickly raised and 27 firefighters were dispatched to the scene to fight the fire. They worked diligently until one in the morning, when the teams were able to leave the site.
More details to follow