Canadian investigators seek seven missing after fire at Montreal building
Reuters
Published Mar 19, 2023 01:28PM ET
Updated Mar 19, 2023 07:33PM ET
MONTREAL (Reuters) - Police and fire officials in Canada on Sunday were searching the rubble of a Montreal building for seven missing people believed trapped after flames engulfed the site last week.
Flowers were left across a courtyard from the beige stone building in the historic Old Montreal district as workers using a crane tried to secure the badly damaged three-storey structure on Sunday afternoon.
It took more than 100 firefighters to contain the fire at the building, which broke out on Thursday morning and left several injured, said Marie-Eve Beausoleil, a spokesperson for the city's fire department, the Service de securite incendie de Montreal.
Montreal Police spokesperson Jean-Pierre Brabant said investigators had reason to believe there were victims inside.
"These are extremely trying times for the families of the missing and the injured," said Alain Vaillancourt, a Montreal city council executive committee member responsible for public security, in a statement.
"The current priority is to secure the scene to allow the search for the victims."
Apartments in the building were used both by long-term residents and guests who were staying there short-term after booking lodgings through Airbnb, Beausoleil said on Saturday.
City officials said the units in the residential building were not supposed to be rented for purposes such as Airbnb, citing municipal rules that restrict which establishments can be used for tourism.
There is no known connection between the units used for short-term rental and the blaze. The fire's cause is unknown.
Ben Breit, Airbnb’s global head of trust and safety communications, said in a statement, "we are providing our support to those affected, and we are assisting law enforcement as they investigate.”
Get The News You Want
Written By: Reuters
Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.