A major fire broke out on Monday in a shelter for women in difficulty in the borough of Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie, in Montreal.
According to the Montreal Fire Safety Service (SIM), it was around 8:45 a.m. that the fire started Monday morning, on the first floor of the building located near Père-Marquette Park.
“We heard a noise. The maintenance staff saw flames and took fire extinguishers, but it was not enough,” says Mireille, general director of the organization that administers the residence. “Everything spread very quickly, but everyone was able to be evacuated and brought to safety quickly. »
It only took “2 to 5 minutes” to evacuate the 37 residents. “We organized ourselves to go and knock on the doors of all the accommodations. Some women were sleeping, still in their pajamas. »
According to the director, the fire started in the corridor of short-stay accommodation.
Massive intervention
The level five alarm having been triggered, 150 firefighters intervened quickly to contain the fire. The Montreal City Police Service (SPVM) was also present to secure the surrounding area.
A firefighter was injured during the intervention, but his life was not in danger.
“The sprinkler system and the fire alarm system were operational in the building,” says SIM section head, Stéphanie Lorrain. They made it possible to facilitate “the rapid evacuation of residents”.
By 11 a.m., approximately two hours after the fire started, it was under control. There was therefore no longer any risk of it restarting.
The SPVM has opened an investigation to determine its origin.
According to the head of the SIM section, “the building is very damaged”. An expert was sent to the site to assess the extent of the damage.
Fast support
It was the Red Cross which took care of the residents and staff of the establishment. Their intervention is expected to last 72 hours, until all the women are rehoused.
“We provide them with food, clothing and accommodation assistance,” says the organization. But for the moment, we are still evaluating their exact needs. »
For now, a quarter of the women could have already been relocated to temporary accommodation, either at home or in other organizations or accommodation centers that were willing to welcome them. The sector’s CIUSSS also came to provide support.
According to the general director of the shelter, “it is important that (the residents) all stay together generally”, which is why the search for an establishment ready to welcome them can take time. The fact that some of them have pets, especially cats, also limits the possibilities.
The Red Cross is therefore carrying out research at the same time to find a hotel to house the remaining residents.
reference: www.lapresse.ca