(Montreal) Christmas Masses at the Notre-Dame Basilica in Old Montreal are scheduled to begin Sunday evening.
A fire at a construction site overnight caused more fear than harm.
The Montreal City Police Service (SPVM) no longer speaks of an “arson” but of a fire of electrical origin.
Emergency services were alerted to a 911 call about a fire alarm Sunday morning, around 2:30 a.m.
When police arrived, firefighters were already on site at the intersection of Notre-Dame and Saint-Sulpice streets.
Scaffolding at the construction site of the building caught fire.
“Firefighters found traces of acceleration,” the SPVM said at the start of the intervention, while noting that “there was no damage to the building.”
This place is very popular and popular with tourists, but also has a lot of homeless people in the area.
“Investigators from the SPVM arson unit rushed to the spot early in the morning. They carried out an assessment of the scene and agreed that it was not a fire of a criminal nature, but of an electrical nature,” SPVM spokesperson Véronique Dubuc said in an update on the event.
Historical place
Montreal's Notre-Dame Basilica is classified as a National Historic Site of Canada. Its construction dates back to the 1820s.
It is undergoing renovation work from 2020 onwards.
The church was elevated to a minor basilica in 1982 by Pope John Paul II, who visited in September 1984.
“On many occasions, thousands of people gathered inside it or in its square to pay their last respects to prominent figures; Think of Maurice Richard or Pierre Trudeau in 2000. He enjoyed very happy and extravagant times with Celine Dion and René Angel or with the marriage of hockey player Mario Lemieux. Directory of Cultural Heritage of Quebec.
