MONTREAL – A fire on the roof of Hôtel-Dieu caused significant damage to the institution Monday afternoon in Montreal.
According to the firefighters, renovations to the roof of the Vimont Pavilion were the cause of the fire, which started around 2:25 pm
Fortunately, no patient was in the hospital ward at the time of the fire. Only a handful of employees were present. Two of them were inconvenienced by the smoke and were treated on the spot by the paramedics.
A subcontractor who was involved in the renovations was also inconvenienced by the smoke and had to be taken to the hospital. We would not be afraid for his life.
“Although there were no patients inside the lodge, there were several important medical documents on the top floor, not far from the fire. Our firefighters have managed to save them, “said Benoit Martel, chief operating officer at the Montreal Fire Department.
In total, about fifty firefighters were dispatched to the scene to circumscribe the fire.
According to the emergency services, damage to the Vimont Pavilion is “tens of thousands of dollars”, in part because the smoke from the fire spread across the eight floors of the building.
Some sections of streets had to be closed to traffic around the health facility for the duration of the intervention.