Fire at the Theatre du Nouveau Monde in Montreal
Montreal firefighters have put out a blaze that erupted at the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde in the city's downtown area Thursday morning.
Officials say the fire was in a part of the building under renovation at the intersection of Sainte-Catherine Street Ouest and Saint-Urbain Street, in the heart of the Quartier des Spectacles.
People were asked to avoid the area as the blaze emitted a lot of smoke. The cause of the fire is not yet known.
A security perimeter was set up, blocking off streets down towards René-Lévesque Boulevard, between Saint-Urbain and Jeanne-Mance streets.
SHOWS POSTPONED
The fire forced the theatre to postpone three performances of Robert Lepage's show, 'Les Sept branches de la rivière Ōta'.
The organization said it had to postpone Friday's performances as well as weekend shows. Ticket holders will be contacted with postponement dates.
The five other performances scheduled over the next two weeks, starting Aug. 26, have been maintained, the TNM said.
"The fire broke out quickly but it was brought under control quickly, so it was a lot of smoke that caused the damage and obviously the water. But we are quite lucky in our misfortune because the interior of the theater is not affected, nor the set of the 'Les Sept branches de la rivière Ōta', nor the costumes," said TNM artistic director Lorraine Pintal.
The Théâtre du Nouveau Monde has existed since 1951 in a structure that was built in 1912. Thick brick walls helped preserve the theatre, said Pintal.
"It's an old theatre. So, there was still a natural protection that was created between the fire and the interior of our theatre," she said. "So now we're in the big emergency cleanup."
Still, the fire threw another curveball at the theatre after dealing with closures in the past two years.
"I'm still a little bit in shock, I must say, and people are very emotional because we're starting our season after two years of pandemic... everything has been up and down," said Pintal. "So yes, it's a strange way to start the season. But we think we've got our fighting weapons, so we'll get through it."
- With files from CTV News Montreal's Matt Grillo and The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Parents of infant who died in wrong-way crash on Ontario's Hwy. 401 were in same vehicle
Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit has released new details about a wrong-way collision in Whitby on Monday night that claimed the lives of four people.
Three Quebec men from same family father hundreds of children
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
'What have we done?' Lawyer describes shock at possible role in Trump's 2016 victory
A lawyer who negotiated a pair of hush money deals at the centre of Donald Trump's criminal trial recalled Thursday his "gallows humor" reaction to Trump's 2016 election victory and the realization that his hidden-hand efforts might have contributed to the win.
Conservative MP says Chinese hacking attack targeted his personal email
A Conservative MP is challenging claims by House of Commons administration that a China-backed hacking attempt did not impact any members of Parliament, because the attack was on his personal email.
B.C. mayor stripped of budget, barred from committees over Indigenous residential schools book
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
Loblaw leaders call criticism 'misguided,' say they aren't to blame for high food prices
Loblaw chairman Galen Weston and the company's new CEO are pushing back against critics who blame the grocery giant for soaring food prices, as a month-long boycott of the retailer gets underway.
Orangutan observed treating wound using medicinal plant in world first
Scientists working in Indonesia have observed an orangutan intentionally treating a wound on their face with a medicinal plant, the first time this behavior has been documented.
'Giant-killer' Kazushi Kimura to race in Kentucky Derby this weekend: 'I'm representing Canada and Japan'
Six years ago, at age 18, Kazushi Kimura left his home and family behind in Hokkaido, Japan to chase a dream. This weekend, he'll ride in the Kentucky Derby.
President Joe Biden calls Japan and India 'xenophobic' nations that do not welcome immigrants
President Joe Biden has called Japan and India “xenophobic” countries that do not welcome immigrants, lumping the two with adversaries China and Russia as he tried to explain their economic circumstances and contrasted the four with the U.S. on immigration.