2LT International News

MONTREAL, Canada – A huge blaze engulfed a skyscraper in Montreal, sending smoke billowing from the building, even as hundreds of firefighters tackled the blaze on Friday. 

According to local officials, emergency services rushed to the Place Montreal Trust complex on the corner of McGill College Avenue and Ste-Catherine Street after being alerted about the blaze at 4.40 pm local time on Friday.

Hundreds of firefighters from the Montreal Fire Department gathered at the site, as thick blaze smoke emerged from the Bell Media Tower in Montreal.

The department said that about 225 firefighters and 50 fire trucks were sent to the scene and the local police blocked many streets in downtown Montreal.

A report in CTV Montreal quoted a firefighter Francis Leduc as saying, “We evacuated the building right away. The building itself became full of smoke so it made it a bit tougher to get the people out. It’s even tougher for us (because) we have to go by the staircase.”

Reports noted that the five-alarm blaze broke out on the roof of the 30-storey skyscraper and three people were rushed to the hospital.

Urgences-santé noted that six people were working on the roof when the fire broke out and two of them suffered injuries.

Further adding that the third person who suffered injuries had been working in an office nearby.

All the three people are believed to be stable and officials said that their injuries were not life-threatening. 

A report in the Montreal Gazette said that the fire was brought under control within an hour and a half, even though witnesses said that the fire was not completely out even by Friday evening.

The Montreal fire department has launched an investigation into the cause of the fire and said that they had not ascertained the cause so far.

The fire is thought to be connected to work being done on the roof.