1 dead after fire in Trois-Rivières, Que., social housing complex, 30 units unlivable
Total of 150 people were evacuated from the building
A fire at a social housing complex in Trois-Rivières on Tuesday evening left one person dead and displaced residents from 30 households.
According to police, the fire began around 2:15 p.m. at Habitations du Vieux-Moulin, starting on the eighth floor and spreading to the ninth.
Over 90 firefighters from Trois-Rivières and nearby towns responded to the blaze, evacuating 150 people from the building. The victim was found unconscious in one of the units and pronounced dead at the scene.
A coroner's inquest is underway as authorities investigate the fire's cause and origin.
Due to fire damage, 30 units in the low-income housing complex, known as an HLM in French, will no longer be habitable. Inspections are ongoing to determine whether the remaining tenants can return soon. The Office municipal d'habitation de Trois-Rivières, which manages the building, expects it will take three days to complete the assessment.
The Red Cross is assisting residents, while the City of Trois-Rivières is setting up a shelter for those affected. City manager François Vaillancourt stated, "We are in close contact with the Red Cross ... to provide logistical and administrative support for disaster victims for the first 72 hours."
