'Intense' rescue operation: 1 missing, 9 injured in Old Montreal fire
'Intense' rescue operation: 1 missing, 9 injured in Old Montreal fire
In what firefighters are calling a "very intense" rescue operation, at least one person is missing, and nine others injured in a five-alarm fire in Old Montreal.
"When firefighters first arrived, there were flames coming out the windows. There were several people trapped in windows, on the roof. There were at least four people rescued with ground ladders. Other people rescued by aerial ladders on the roof," said Richard Liebmann, chief director of the Montreal fire department.
One person leaped from the second floor of the three-storey building on the corner of du Port Street and Place d'Youville
More than 120 firefighters battled the blaze and helped the trapped victims.
"Our first priority is always to save lives. It was a very intense rescue operation at the beginning," said Liebmann. "We did everything we can to try to help the people as quickly as possible."
The missing person may have been a short-term renter and is therefore difficult to track down, but it also means other short-term renters could be missing.
"We don't know how many other people may be missing because several apartments were also Airbnb rentals," said Liebmann.
Investigators from both the fire department and Montreal police are working to track down whoever may have been in the building.
More than 120 firefighters were called to a 5-alarm fire on du Port Street and Place d'Youville in Montreal's Old Port on March 16, 2023. (CTV News/Olivia O'Malley)
Liebmann said that nine people were transported to the hospital: three in serious condition and six with "relatively minor" injuries. None of the injuries are life-threatening injuries.
One firefighter was evaluated for contamination after getting blood from one of the victims in his eyes, but no other firefighters were injured.
The blaze began around 5:45 a.m. Around 7:30 a.m. firefighters were focused largely on preventing the fire from spreading to nearby buildings.
"That's why we have [so] many firefighters on the scene," said Martin Guilbault, operations chief for the Montreal fire department (SSIM).
"We went into defensive fire attack to try and preserve the surrounding buildings to make sure there's no fire spread to adjacent buildings," added Liebmann.
By 9 a.m., most of the flames were extinguished.
Guilbault said it's "too early" to determine the cause of the fire.
More than 120 firefighters were called to a 5-alarm fire on du Port Street and Place d'Youville in Montreal's Old Port on March 16, 2023. (Sofia Ajram)
Stephanie Hlavin, a tourist from North Carolina, was staying at a neighbouring hotel when the fire broke out.
"At first, you're like, 'Oh, it's just another hotel alarm' -- I've been in one many times before. But we smelled smoke, so we just got up, scrambled, went outside," she recounted.
"Immediately, the smoke was really overwhelming. We had to move down the street. It was really frightening."
Liebmann issued a reminder to ensure smoke detectors are functioning and people react when they go off.
"We really want to emphasize the importance of smoke alarms, being warned as early as possible when there's smoke or fire to have the time to get out," he said. "Fire can spread very, very quickly in any type of building, so we want to make sure that people have as much time as possible to get out."
It's unclear if the building, built in 1890, is a total loss, but the roof collapsed, and the interior was destroyed.
"We've got structural engineers that are coming in. we're going to do everything we can to save what's left of the building," said Liebmann. "We understand the historical value of the building and its importance."
No adjacent buildings were damaged.
With files from CTV's Olivia O'Malley and Matt Grillo
Ottawa Police are investigating an attempted break-in at the residence of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's national security adviser, the second such incident involving one of his top aides in recent months.
When two skiers collided on a beginner run at an upscale Utah ski resort in 2016, no one could foresee that seven years later, the crash would become the subject of a closely watched celebrity trial.
A Toronto man, whose neighbours vanished eight years ago and left their home completely abandoned, said he's fed up living next door to a property that is in complete disarray.
A candidate for the United Conservative Party in southern Alberta has resigned after she posted a video claiming children are being exposed to pornography in schools.
A scientist at CAMH says video games have similar addictive features to gambling which cause social isolation of the individual and dependency on the activity.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered a brief initial response to the final report from the Mass Casualty Commission (MCC) into Canada's worst mass shooting, which claimed the lives of 22 people in Nova Scotia in 2020. Vowing changes will come, here's what Trudeau said in Truro, N.S.
The federal Liberals are trending downward on three key measures while Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has surpassed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau when it comes to the question of who Canadians would prefer now as their prime minister, according to Nanos Research.
A Toronto man, whose neighbours vanished eight years ago and left their home completely abandoned, said he's fed up living next door to a property that is in complete disarray.
Premier Doug Ford is slamming federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault as a “real piece of work” in the wake of public remarks he made suggesting that Ontario has “no plan to fight climate change.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered a brief initial response to the final report from the Mass Casualty Commission (MCC) into Canada's worst mass shooting, which claimed the lives of 22 people in Nova Scotia in 2020. Vowing changes will come, here's what Trudeau said in Truro, N.S.
Gun policy comments made by then-RCMP commissioner Brenda Lucki in a contentious call to Nova Scotia RCMP officers after the mass shooting in 2020 did not amount to political interference, the Mass Casualty Commission (MCC) final report concludes.
When the store manager at La Noisette Bakery arrived Thursday morning to open the small shop on Oxford Street, she discovered that one of the two large circular windows at the side of their building was shattered.
There are exciting plans for Knox Presbyterian Church in downtown Sudbury. Built in 1927, the former church was sold after its congregation dwindled and will be transformed into a concert hall.
A candidate for the United Conservative Party in southern Alberta has resigned after she posted a video claiming children are being exposed to pornography in schools.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has yet to answer direct questions about a growing scandal of her alleged interference with the justice system, but her deputy premier has responded the media about the issue.
Police have released video of a suspected arsonist who allegedly caused thousands of dollars in smoke and water damage to a building in Vancouver's Chinatown last weekend.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has yet to answer direct questions about a growing scandal of her alleged interference with the justice system, but her deputy premier has responded the media about the issue.
The Windsor Police Service’s Arson Unit is asking for the public’s help identifying two suspects after police say they intentionally set fire to the former Mission Thrift Store.
A Mass Casualty Commission report that came out on Thursday following a mass shooting in Nova Scotia in 2020 may have a local impact on the RCMP Depot model being phased out.
Riley Jolly detailed several injuries he observed on his son, Emerson Whitby, prior to the 18-month-old’s death, during testimony at Court of King’s Bench in Regina on Thursday.
Ottawa Police are investigating an attempted break-in at the residence of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's national security adviser, the second such incident involving one of his top aides in recent months.
Students at the University of Saskatchewan College of Medicine are reluctant to speak up when faculty make racist comments, according to a new report from the human rights commission.
A Mass Casualty Commission report that came out on Thursday following a mass shooting in Nova Scotia in 2020 may have a local impact on the RCMP Depot model being phased out.
More than 120 firefighters were called to a 5-alarm fire on du Port Street and Place d'Youville in Montreal's Old Port on March 16, 2023. (CTV News/Olivia O'Malley)
More than 120 firefighters were called to a 5-alarm fire on du Port Street and Place d'Youville in Montreal's Old Port on March 16, 2023. (Sofia Ajram)
