Another deadly house fire in Quebec; 6 dead since 2024 began

Yet another residential fire has claimed a life in Quebec, bringing the total deaths to six since Jan. 3.

This latest blaze occurred Saturday morning in Portneuf, in the Quebec City area.

Firefighters were called to a home on Notre-Dame Road around 6 a.m. They were still battling the flames as of 9 a.m. and said the body of at least one person was discovered inside.

Quebec provincial police (SQ) say the fire does not appear to be criminal in nature, but plan to analyze the scene when it's deemed safe to enter.

TWO FIRES ON FRIDAY

Two separate house fires caused four deaths in Quebec on Friday.

In the early hours of the morning, firefighters were called to a house fire in Rawdon, north of Montreal.

Two bodies were discovered lifeless inside. Close friends have identified the victims as Sue Ellen Jones and her husband, Christopher Millar, both in their 70s.

The building was believed to be one of the oldest homes in Rawdon, built in 1844.

A few hours later, in Boisbriand, a 91-year-old man and 46-year-old woman were pulled from a burning home shortly after 8:30 a.m.

The victims were members of the Hasidic Jewish community in Boisbriand, according to the neighbourhood's public security service. They shared the home with four families, totalling about 20 people.

5-YEAR-OLD KILLED

On Dec. 31, an apartment fire in Hampstead, a municipality on the island of Montreal, sent a five-year-old boy and his 36-year-old father to hospital in critical condition.

The boy succumbed to his injuries on Jan. 3, Montreal police confirmed on Saturday. His father remains in critical condition.