A fire broke out in an apartment building on rue de la Cour near the intersection of rue Deslauriers, Friday around 6 p.m., in Rivière-du-Loup. The building was saved, but the damage caused by fire and water will be heavy.
By Lydia Barnabé-Roy, Local Journalism Initiative- Info Dimanche
When firefighters arrived, thick smoke and flames were coming from the roof of the building.
“The first team made sure that everyone had evacuated and we still made a quick attack,” says the director of the Rivière-du-Loup Fire Safety Department, Éric Bérubé.
The fire started in the kitchen of the apartment located on the third floor. The old building had many technical voids.
“The fire spread into the dormer windows, the attic and the attic. That’s what gave us a bit of trouble,” he explains.
Despite the difficulty of reaching certain hot spots, firefighters were able to locate access points to contain the fire.
The Rivière-du-Loup ladder truck was deployed above the left cornice of the building. The one from Saint-Antonin, which arrived a little later, was placed on the other side of the roof slope.
“It allowed us to work efficiently, and if the fire had ever gotten bigger, it would have allowed us to use it to its full potential,” says Mr. Bérubé.
Protection of assets
“Given the difficulty of getting on the roof, the slope does not allow us to attach ladders, we really had to work from the inside,” maintains the director.
Several teams took turns in the building. The firefighters watered and ventilated using hoses, then reached the technical spaces with gaffs and chain saws by drilling into the ceilings.
The Rivière-du-Loup Fire Safety Department also protected property in the first floor dwelling, due to the water flowing there.
“We knew that the fire would not get there, so we protected it adequately,” assures Éric Bérubé.
Just before 8 p.m., firefighters were no longer applying water to the building.
The ventilation was finished. The responders checked that a place, difficult to access, had not been reached by the fire, and that all the fires were extinguished, before declaring final extinction.
The director of the Rivière-du-Loup Fire Safety Department expected to remain at least another half hour on the scene, before starting to send units back.
The fire apparently started on the stove. “It’s a cooking error, but we don’t know what exactly happened,” reports Éric Bérubé. The exact origin will be confirmed a little later.
The Red Cross to the rescue
Three victims, a single person and a family of two, will have support from the Red Cross for the night.
The buildings surrounding the apartment building were also evacuated when firefighters arrived due to the thick smoke and flames coming from the roof of the building.
Hydro-Québec also provided assistance during the intervention. “For the safety of our workers, we turned off the electricity to the building,” confides the director.
Due to the call reaching the fourth alarm, around thirty firefighters were on scene.
During the operation, Rue de la Cour and Rue Deslauriers were closed to traffic.
