Pruner electrocuted while working on tree, Montreal police say

Montreal police (SPVM) have confirmed that a pruner in his 20s has died after being electrocuted while working on a tree in Montreal's Saint-Laurent borough.

The SPVM says 911 calls reported the incident at 4 p.m. An ambulance and Montreal firefighters subsequently arrived on Fraser Street, where the work accident occurred.  

"Following interventions by the paramedics and the firefighters, the death was pronounced at the scene, an SPVM spokesperson said.

A source told CTV News that it took several minutes before Hydro Quebec could cut the power so rescuers could attend to the man.

"It really is a very, very sad circumstance," said Alan DeSousa, borough mayor of Saint-Laurent. "When you hear there's a loss of life, and in this case, a young man, it really makes you feel terrible, both for him and for his family and his close friends."

Antoine Leclerc, a spokesperson for Quebec's workers health and safety board (CNESST), told CTV News that the tree pruner was working in the yard of a private residence.

"The worker, who was carrying out work at a height, had come into contact with an electrical current. Two inspectors are present at the scene to ensure that the people on site are safe, and secondly to gather information in order to understand the circumstances of the accident," Leclerc said.

Leclerc added that investigators will interview witnesses but that a formal investigation has not yet been launched.