A downtown building was gutted by a five-alarm fire on Saturday.
The fire broke out in the four-story building on Stanley, just above Sherbrooke at 10:20 a.m. Over 130 firefighters were called to the scene.
Montreal fire department chief Benoit Martel said residents on the fourth floor of the 100-year-old building reported a sound near their thermostat. The fire is believed to have been electrical and no foul play is suspected. An investigation will be conducted to determine the exact cause.
The fight to contain the fire was hampered by low temperatures.
"Rapidly, the fire went into the roof. That's why we had a problem," said Martel. "We had some problems to put big ladders to go on the roof. Temperatures, too, we had problems with hoses and connectors."
Martel said several of the residents were not home when the fire began and were informed of the damage by firefighters when they returned. In total, 20 people were forced from their homes, as well as a number of pets. None were injured and the Red Cross is helping those affected find temporary shelter.
He estimated damage as being in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, though the fire was restricted to the top floor and roof.
"There's a lot of damage, especially from water," he said. "We put some water on the roof so the water went on all the floors."
