A violent fire ravaged the Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Allégresses church in Trois-Rivières Thursday afternoon. The wind and the structure dating from 1913-1914 would have accelerated the spread of the flames. In a few minutes, the fire turned into widespread conflagration.
It was around 2 p.m. that a passerby called the authorities because he had noticed flames in the church located at the corner of rue Saint-François Xavier and boulevard du Saint-Maurice.
Finally, given the scale of the intervention, the fire safety department triggered a general alarm. Firefighters and sappers from four other municipalities, including Shawinigan and Bécancour, were called in for reinforcements.
A total of 90 firefighters were mobilized to the scene.
At the height of the blaze, around 2:30 p.m., the flames and smoke were perceptible several kilometers away.
The place would be a total loss.
Large security perimeter
Around twenty police officers went to the site, in particular to set up a security perimeter. Buildings and businesses were evacuated.
The Tim Hortons and the shopping center, which houses the Super C, which are just to the right of the church, were evacuated. The police secured the scene.
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Authorities evacuated several nearby buildings.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Jean-François Fortier
Power outage
The fire caused an interruption of service at Hydro-Québec.
Around 2:42 p.m. Thursday afternoon, 2,343 customers were without power in the area.
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The wind would have accelerated the spread of the flames.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Yoann Dénécé
Church under construction
A construction site had been underway for several weeks at the Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Allégresses church.
Recently, workers were carrying out work on the roof of the place of worship which was to be transformed into housing.
Crisis management at Saint-Joseph Seminary
Faced with the imposing blaze, crisis management was set in motion at Saint-Joseph Seminary.
It’s impressive what we saw! Particularly around 2:30 p.m., the conflagration was at its peak, with both bell towers in flames!
At the time of the fire, nearly 200 students were outside on the private high school’s synthetic outdoor field. As the courtyard is located in front of the church, all activities were stopped simultaneously.
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A fire is underway at the Notre-Dame des Sept-Alllégresse church
Photo : Radio-Canada / Julie Grenon
Teachers and members of management have limited access to the outdoor courtyard to ensure the safety of students. “Luckily for us, the wind was not in our direction, which helped avoid possible propagation towards our land,” explained Dany Dallaire.
To reassure everyone, management also sent an email to parents, ensuring that everyone was safe and that school transportation was taking place as planned.
The church was to be transformed into housing
The project, unveiled in May, plans a building of 40 housing units behind the church and apartments inside the place of worship.
It is the well-known businessman in Mauricie, Georges Mouradian, who is at the origin of the conversion project and who is the promoter of the project.
At the time of the announcement, the presented schedule provided for work to begin in spring 2025, to allow the first tenants to move in in spring or summer 2026.
More details to come.
