A water main break has flooded the basement of a social housing building in Montreal, forcing its evacuation.
Around 6:45 a.m., as the temperature in Montreal dropped to -20C, a water main cracked and the cascade of water flooded the basement of 387 Beaubien St. East.
Firefighters said the water entered the parking garage and submerged the electrical room.
Electricity was cut to the entire area for hours so that the safety of the building could be evaluated, and it has now been restored to everything except the building in question.
It will take at least several days, and possibly more than a week, to fix the damage.
Because it will be impossible to heat the building, firefighters have ordered the residence’s evacuation.
“They told us to find other places to stay for at least a week,” said resident Pauline Hamel.
Two buses from the Red Cross arrived Wednesday morning to provide temporary shelter for the roughly 130 residents, and the charity group will house the evacuees who have nowhere else to go for several days.
One woman who is confined to a bed will require extra assistance, and paramedics from Urgences Santé were needed to bring the woman out of the building and take her somewhere she can get the help she needs.
