Firefighters battled a spectacular blaze that broke out early Friday in Repentigny, the second to hit the same bar this month.
Hoses and ladders were deployed in an effort to extinguish the raging flames leaping from the Pub Saint Maurice at 75 de Normandie at about 2:30 a.m., a larger-scale version of another suspicious conflagration on the terrace of the same bar on December 5.
The structure housing the bar was irreparably damaged and will be demolished but seven adjacent businesses suffered little harm.
The bar was closed at the time of the fire, which was made more difficult to control by heavy wind gusts in the area.
Repentigny firefighters were given help by neighbouring fire squads and one police officer was taken to hospital for a minor case of smoke inhalation.
Repentigny is a town of about 82,000 that sits about 35 km northeast of downtown Montreal.
