MONTREAL

An unattended cigarette the likely cause of Gaspe seniors home blaze

The Canadian Press

Published Thursday, January 2, 2020 12:24PM EST

There were no injuries, but 131 seniors were forced to evacuate their residence after an unattended cigarette apparently caught a mattress on fire and damaged the entire building.

Text:

GASPE, QC -- The SQ report no injuries after a fire hit a seniors' residence in the eastern Quebec community of Gaspe.

The Manoir Saint-Augustin is home to 131 residents and was damaged by the blaze that began early Thursday, just after 1 a.m.

Police say an investigation is ongoing, but they believe that an unattended cigarette set a mattress on fire.

Firefighters arrived to find thick smoke in the corridors of the building.

Canadian Red Cross volunteers or the residents' families came to take care of the elders.

Police say they don't know when residents will be allowed to return to their homes because the water used to douse the flames caused considerable damage.

It is the second fire causing the evacuation of a seniors' residence this week after dozens were evacuated from a home in Trois-Pistoles Dec. 29.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 2, 2020.