This time, it is the former Sainte-Claire seniors’ residence located on Boulevard du Saint-Maurice, a few steps from the Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Allégresses church which also fell prey to the flames in last October, which was the scene of a fire around 7 a.m. Wednesday morning.
The residence is located a few steps from the Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Allégresses church which also fell prey to flames last October. (Gabriel Delisle)
A person was found unresponsive on the upper floor of the building by firefighters earlier Wednesday morning. A massage was then carried out on site for more than ten minutes to try to resuscitate him. The man was transported to the hospital center where his death was confirmed in the morning by the Trois-Rivières police department.
“What we currently know is that it is a building that was vacant. However, during our searches, we found a person on the second floor and they were unconscious,” explains the director of the Trois-Rivières Fire Safety Department, Dany Cloutier.
After checking the premises, the victim was alone inside, specifies Mr. Cloutier, who cannot confirm whether it was a place popular with squatters, in particular.
The flames apparently started on the ground floor of the building which was boarded up.
“The fire is believed to have started on the first floor and smoke spread to the upper floors. […] We do not yet know the origin of the blaze at this time.”
— Dany Cloutier, director of the Trois-Rivières Fire Safety Department
Remember that last February, a fire also broke out in the old residence. “It’s not the first time we’ve come here,” confirms Mr. Cloutier.
An investigation could also be opened in the coming hours concerning this fire. “We will see if the fire will be transferred to the police department or not, […] but we cannot confirm or deny anything in relation to other fires that occurred in the same area.”
Tuesday afternoon, an apartment building on rue Laviolette suffered the same fate.
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