Massive Fire in Old Montreal Leaves Nine Injured, One Missing

A five-alarm blaze in Old Montreal left nine people injured and one missing on Thursday morning. The fire was erupting from a three-floor building on the corner of du Port Street and Place d’Youville. The cause of the fire is unclear, but it took around three and half to four hours to put it out.

The fire at a three-floor building on the corner of du Port Street and Place d’Youville, Old Montreal, broke out around 5:45 a.m. Around 7:30 a.m. Martin Guilbault, operations chief for the Montreal fire department (SSIM), shared some details about the incident and said that at least nine people have been taken to a hospital but with non-life-threatening injuries. “We don’t know the kind of injuries they have, but none of them are life-threatening injuries,” said Guilbault.

First responders confirmed that one person was missing. Reportedly, some of the units in the building were Airbnbs, and the officials believe the missing person could have been a short-term renter. The identities of the injured and the missing person have not been revealed as of yet.

More than 120 firefighters were involved in bringing the fire under control. By 9 a.m., most of the flames were extinguished. What caused the fire, is currently unclear.

The smoke from the fire was so much that the neighbors had to move down the street. “At first you’re like, ‘oh, it’s just another hotel alarm’ — I’ve been in one many times before. But we smelled smoke, so we just got up, scrambled, went outside,” said Stephanie Hlavin, a tourist staying at a neighboring hotel. She added, “Immediately, the smoke was really overwhelming, we had to move down the street. It was really frightening.”

Vineet Washington