Residents of about twenty apartments found themselves on the street overnight from Thursday to Friday after a violent fire destroyed a former Ottawa hotel that had been converted into a century-old residential building in Saint-Hyacinthe.
The fire, which broke out in a recycling tank at 11pm, spread throughout the building on rue Saint-Antoine, near Avenue Saint-Simon.
Pascal Girard / QMI Agency
Residents of the apartment building were evacuated when the first firefighters from the Saint-Hyacinthe city fire department arrived, but no one was injured.
Firefighters from Cronby and surrounding cities were called to the rescue to help their colleagues from Saint-Hyacinth, who were trying to put out the blaze.
The Red Cross was called to the scene to take care of the victims, especially since the three-story building was a total loss, while a mechanical shovel was at work.
The resident of the hostel at night is said to be missing, but authorities have not reached him and it is not known if he was missing or trapped inside.
Indicates that the Sûreté du Québec file is currently in the hands of the Fire Safety Service.
