Firefighters are currently battling a fierce fire in a large garage behind 234 Rue Saint-Jean-Baptiste.
The flames that destroyed the at least two-story building left little hope for the outcome of the battle. Firefighters were called to the scene shortly before 4 p.m. and are currently leading the fight. Houses are nearby.
The road between the entrance to the Tremsim settlement and Rue Simard is completely closed. Smoke is clearly visible in downtown Baie-Saint-Paul.
The fire department declared the fire under control around 4:30 p.m. This is followed by an investigation and determination of the cause.
“As I was leaving my house, I saw the smoke rising,” commented Captain Dominique Maltais, who was in charge of the operation. “There was a general conflagration for about ten minutes. It is a building clad in sheet metal. “Openings were created to access the flames,” she summarized.
The building is still standing. 28 firefighters took part in the battle in a small area of the city. Rue Saint-Jean-Baptiste was closed to all traffic for several hours.
The owner of the burning building mentioned that the garage stored a car, a motorcycle and an ATV, as well as many family heirlooms.
“At lunchtime I went into the garage and there was absolutely nothing going on,” the woman said. She also mentions that there were two heat lamps plugged in for her cats, one on each floor.
The building was not heated with wood. It was simply powered by electricity.
According to neighbors and witnesses, this garage was known as Jean-Marie Ménard's woodworking shop in the 1980s.
“The firefighters did a great job,” concluded the owner of the place.