(Quebec) A 66-year-old man died Sunday in a fire at an apartment building in Limoilou, Quebec.
Posted 4:27pm Updated 4:37pm
The fire brigade intervened around 12:30 p.m. due to smoke at 1310 Avenue Francois-1er. On site, they had to request reinforcements because of the confirmed risk of fire spreading.
The chief called a second alert, resulting in about 30 firefighters battling the blaze. All surrounding houses were evacuated.
The 66-year-old man found by firefighters was evacuated, but his death was pronounced on the spot, reports Sergeant in Communications from the City of Quebec Police Service David Poitras.
“Note that there was no smoke detector in the apartment,” adds the sergeant.
The fire was brought under control at 12:47 p.m. According to the fire department, the flames did not spread to the other apartments in the twelve-story building.
“Given that the fire is fatal, there will be a concerted investigative effort between the Fire Department, Quebec City Police Department investigators and the Coroner to determine the causes and circumstances surrounding the deaths and fire ‘ explains Mr Poitras.
If the cause of the fire is not yet known, he states that the criminal hypothesis has been ruled out for the time being.
He specifies that the majority of the evacuees have been able to return to their homes and none of the victims have had to be treated by the Red Cross.
The two-story building near Anse-à-Cartier Park was built in 1945 and contains 11 row rental units according to the City of Quebec’s Real Estate Appraisal List.
The building’s owner, a numbered company that identifies itself as Everell Rentals on social media, said it was not immediately available for comment when contacted by The Canadian Press.