Man, 91, and woman, 46, dead after house fire in Boisbriand
A second deadly fire within 12 hours in Quebec has claimed the life of two more people.
Police in Therese-de Blainville (RIPTB) are investigating the cause of a fatal residential fire in Boisbriand, just north of Montreal.
The RIPTB reported that an 8:30 a.m. 911 call on Friday reported heavy smoke coming from a house on Beth-Halevy Street.
"The fire was quickly brought under control by the fire service and may have been accidental in origin," said RIPTB inspector Karine Desaulniers.
Firefighters on the scene were told that two people, a 91-year-old man and a 46-year-old woman, were inside.
Both were taken to a hospital, and were pronounced dead.
"Our investigators and fire scene technician will try to determine this in the next few hours," said Desaulniers.
COMMUNITY DEVASTATED
The victims were members of the Hasidic Jewish community in Boisbriand, according to Issac Weiss, who works with Shomrim, a public security service in the community.
Weiss said when the fire broke out, a neighbour tried to wake the couple to no avail. The fire department arrived within minutes, he said, and broke down the door.
Four families, about 20 people in total, live in the home and were there when the fire broke out, according to Weiss. Shomrim helped evacuate the home and get the evacuees access to food and shelter. They are now staying with family.
Everyone in the community – including police and doctors – are working as fast as they can so they are able to bury the victims before 4 p.m., he said, as they must bury them the same day and before Shabbat, according to their religious beliefs.
"The community is devastated," said Weiss. "This is the first time this has happened in our community, in 60 years of existence that someone has died due to a house fire. Everybody is in shock but we are all coming together to support the families."
ANOTHER FATAL FIRE
It is the second deadly fire where two people died in Quebec on Friday.
Firefighters found the lifeless bodies of two people after a house fire in Rawdon, Que. in the early morning hours. The investigation into the causes of that fire is ongoing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Centre Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs hasn't been ruled out of tonight's Game 7 against the Boston Bruins.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
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.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
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.