4 hospitalized after fire breaks out at LaSalle apartment building
Four people were hospitalized, including a police officer and a woman who lept from a second-storey balcony, after a fire broke out in LaSalle overnight.
A tenant living on Francoeur Street was woken up by the building's fire alarm just before 1:30 a.m., according to Montreal fire department operations chief John Primiani.
When firefighters arrived at the scene, there was smoke on every floor of the three-storey building.
A 61-year-old woman jumped from her balcony, Primiani said. She was taken to hospital but the extent of her injuries is unknown. Other tenants were rescued from their balconies using portable ladders.
Three people, two tenants and a police officer, were to be treated for smoke inhalation.
Primiani said it appears the fire was accidentally set — firefighters at the scene found cigarettes around a burned sofa in the electrical room in the basement.
About 30 people were forced out of the building. Half were able to make their own arrangements and the other half are getting assistance from the Red Cross.
Firefighters had to shut off electricity in the building during the operation. The tenants will be allowed to return once the electricity is reconnected, as damage was limited mainly to the cellar, Primiani said.
