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Burned-out car sits in the rubble of a building that burned to the ground early Wednesday. (JOHN MAHONEY/The Gazette)
Blaze damages century-old building in Ste. Anne de Bellevue
Fire started in wood storage enclosure behind buildings on Ste. Anne St.
The Gazette
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Burned-out car sits in the rubble of a building that burned to the ground early Wednesday. (JOHN MAHONEY/The Gazette)
The fire started in a wood storage enclosure behind a century-old building at the corner of Ste. Anne and Montee Ste. Marie just after midnight, said Melanie Drouin, spokesperson for the Montreal fire department.
By the time the wood shed collapsed, the flames had spread to nearby buildings housing a bar, hairdresser, bookshop, restaurant and lodgings.
The owner of Bar Cousineau, which sustained fire and water damage, said he hoped to reopen his 46-year-old business in the near future.
"I have been paying insurance for 46 years, and finally it will have been for some use - though I had rather this hadn't happened," said Maurice Cousineau, 71.
Tenants living above the bar and a nearby restaurant had evacuated the premises by the time firefighters arrived on the scene.
One resident was taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation, and a firefighter was treated for heat stroke.
Adjoining buildings on Montee Ste. Marie sustained smoke and water damage, Drouin said.
The cause of the fire is still unknown, firefighters say.
The incident has been referred to police arson investigators, but there is no indication that the fire was criminally set, Drouin said.