MONTREAL -- A 97-year-old woman has died after sustaining injuries during a fire in a retirement home in Montreal's east end on Tuesday.

Montreal police (SPVM) confirmed overnight Wednesday that the woman passed away a few hours after being taken to hospital in serious condition.

Anjou fire

(Photo: Cosmo Santamaria, CTV News)

It remains unknown how the fire began at around 5 p.m. in the building at the corner of Joseph-Renault and Yves-Prévost Boulevards, in the Anjou borough.

A team from the Canadian Red Cross was on site to evacuate residents from the building.

Anjou Fire

(Photo: Cosmo Santamaria, CTV News)

Montreal police said they didn't yet know the cause of the fire but believe it may have started in an apartment.

The SPVM arson squad will continue to investigate the circumstances of the event to determine how the fire was started.

-- With files from The Canadian Press