MONTREAL -- A fire raged Sunday morning in an industrial building in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, in the Monteregie region, raising concerns about possible toxic fumes.
Danny Deragon, chief of operations of the Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu fire department, said firefighters had to evacuate around 30 residences surrounding this “very large building where several carpets are stored.”
The Emergency-Environment mobile laboratory was dispatched to the site to assess water and air quality.
Several onlookers reported that they saw smoke plumes “visible from several kilometres away,” around 5:30 a.m. on Sunday. No one was inside the building.
By noon, some 60 firefighters were still putting out the blaze from outside the building, located on Saint-Louis Street.
Firefighters called for support from neighbouring municipalities while tending to the structure’s steel frame collapsing.
Deragon did not report any injuries shortly before noon.
This article by the Canadian Press was first published on April 19, 2020.
