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
'I have the will to live': N.B. woman needs double lung transplant
A New Brunswick woman suffering from sarcoidosis, a disease that limits your lung capacity, is in need of a double lung transplant.
Video shows suspect setting Toronto-area barbershop on fire
Video of a suspect lighting a Richmond Hill barbershop on fire earlier this week has been released by police.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Boeing is on the verge of launching astronauts aboard new capsule, the newest entry to space travel
It’s the first flight of Boeing’s Starliner capsule with a crew on board, a pair of NASA pilots who will check out the spacecraft during the test drive and a weeklong stay at the space station.
Suter scores late goal, clinches series for Canucks
Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.