The violent fire that broke out in Plessisville early Saturday evening devastated everything and left no chance for the Ameublement Poulin store on Rue Savoie at the intersection with Avenue Fournier.
It was 7 p.m. when Plessisville firefighters received the emergency call. “When they arrived there was already a lot of smoke, a lot of heat and flames inside. The engineers tried in vain to carry out an interior attack,” explained director Éric Boucher.
Firefighters therefore had to retreat and work on the defensive as the fire spread.
When the fire reached its peak, nearly fifty firefighters were on duty. In addition to the Plessisvillois firefighters, fighters from the regional fire service of L’Érable (SSIRÉ) and Princeville also joined in for mutual aid. “We also requested the intervention of the Victoriaville firefighters with a ladder truck,” explained Éric Boucher.
The fire required an evacuation of the entire area, including an adjacent building containing 13 apartments. “We made great efforts to protect the building and we succeeded. The building was partially damaged, but only one unit is currently uninhabitable. The other tenants were able to return to their homes,” said Director Boucher.
A mechanical shovel was used to extinguish the fire and make the firefighters’ work easier. The procedure lasted until the middle of the night. However, firefighters had to return there around 5 a.m. to extinguish some fires that had resurfaced.
The material losses are significant, certainly several hundred thousand dollars when the building and all its contents are taken into account.
Fortunately, no one was injured during the operation and the head of the fire protection service is pleased with the work of all firefighters, which made it possible to prevent the fire from spreading to other buildings. “I would like to highlight their excellent work. We saw a great synergy between all the teams,” said Éric Boucher.
The cause of the disaster is currently unclear. The officer will continue his work on the circumstances and cause of the fire in the coming days.