Fifteen people are homeless and two people were hospitalized with smoke inhalation after a fire broke out in a Ste-Therese condominium complex on Saturday morning.

At 4:45 a.m. a 911 call was placed alerting emergency services of the fire in the two-building complex. The intense cold slowed the operations of the 60 firefighters on the scene as they had to use road flares to thaw hoses that kept freezing.

Firefighters said one of the buildings sustained irreparable damage. The other building was evacuated and residents will not be permitted back until late Saturday afternoon.

Carole Singer lives in the building that wasn't as badly damaged. She said she woke up and heard strange noises.

"When I went to the back of my condo, there was a fire, so I called 911," she said. 

Singer said her doors were damaged and firefighters had to strip her wall to check for flames. She said her neighbours are far worse off than she is after the fire.

"I have people I know, I feel very bad for them, for sure," she said. 

Her neighbour in that building, Denis Royal, said his apartment suffered no damage. While he feels bad for his neighbours, he said he's grateful for the good fortune that spared his unit.

"We're lucky," he said. "I guess I'm going to get a 6-49 because nothing happened to use. Maybe it's our lucky day."

Ste-Therese fire department chief Mathieu Lacombe said the way the complex was built also presented some issues for firefighters. Though the buildings were only about 10-years-old, the materials they were built with can allow fires to spread more quickly. 

The 15 people whose homes were destroyed are being housed by friends, family and the Red Cross.

Firefighters said they believe the fire started on the third floor and that while an investigation will be required, it may be related to a lit cigarette or to a fireplace.