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
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
After hearing thousands of last words, this hospital chaplain has advice for the living
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.
WHO likely to issue wider alert on contaminated cough syrup
The World Health Organization is likely to issue a wider warning about contaminated Johnson and Johnson-made children's cough syrup found in Nigeria last week, it said in an email.
WATCH Video shows dramatic police takedown of carjacking suspects chased through parking lot north of Toronto
Police have released video footage of a dramatic takedown of a group of teens wanted in connection with an attempted carjacking in Markham earlier this month.
Canada, G7 urge 'all parties' to de-escalate in growing Mideast conflict
Canada called for 'all parties' to de-escalate rising tensions in the Mideast following an apparent Israeli drone attack against Iran overnight.
'It was all my savings': Ontario woman loses $15K to fake Walmart job scam
A woman who recently moved to Canada from India was searching for a job when she got caught in an online job scam and lost $15,000.
Families to receive Canada Child Benefit payment on Friday
More money will land in the pockets of some Canadian families on Friday for the latest Canada Child Benefit installment.
After COVID, WHO defines disease spread 'through air'
The World Health Organization and around 500 experts have agreed for the first time on what it means for a disease to spread through the air, in a bid to avoid the confusion early in the COVID-19 pandemic that some scientists have said cost lives.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.