Deadly fire at Quebec seniors’ complex
Posted January 23, 2014 7:44 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
L’ISLE VERTE, QUE. (NEWS1130) – Three people are confirmed dead and 30 others are missing following a major fire at a senior’s complex in Quebec.
The local fire chief has told reporters it was “a night from hell” as emergency workers pulled more people from the facility that is about 250 kilometres north of Quebec City.
More than 20 people have been rescued from the 52-unit complex which is now completely destroyed. Some of the victims were taken to hospitals locally and some others were flown as far away as Quebec City.
It was an intense fire that started just after midnight local time in the town of L’Isle-Verte and it raged through the building.
“A night of horror,” says neighbour Christian Morin who had just gone to bed when he heard a scream. “I thought the TV was still on, I checked. I went back to bed, I heard a second cry. I checked out the window and it was a horror.”
Morin hasn’t been able to find an aunt and uncle who lived in the complex. “I have no news. Everyone has a grandmother, aunt or stepmother who lives in that house.”
Many of the 30 people missing were confined to wheelchairs or walkers, some had Alzheimer’s. The town’s acting mayor says only five of the residents were fully autonomous.
One witness talked about an elderly woman who was seen shouting from a balcony as her son tried to rescue her with a ladder. Unfortunately, he couldn’t get to her.
The extreme cold weather complicated the work for emergency crews as it dropped to -19 overnight.
Police are still trying to figure out the exact number of victims. The cause is also under investigation.
