Two people were found dead after a fire tore through an apartment building in Montreal’s St-Michel district on Saturday morning, police said.
Emergency crews were called around 7:30 a.m. to a residential building on 42nd St. near 24th Ave. in the Villeray—St-Michel—Parc-Extension borough after reports of a fire, said Montreal police spokesperson Manuel Couture.
Several residents managed to evacuate the building before firefighters arrived. But when firefighters entered the apartment where the blaze is believed to have started, they discovered two bodies.
“The deaths of these two people were confirmed at the scene,” Couture said.
Two other people suffered serious injuries and were transported to hospital by ambulance. According to media reports, they jumped from the second floor to escape the flames.
Four other people were treated by paramedics at the scene but did not require hospitalization.
The fire is believed to have started in a second-floor apartment before spreading to the floor above. More than 60 firefighters responded to the blaze, which appeared to be under control by about 9 a.m.
Le Journal de Montréal reported that investigators believe the deceased may have been members of the same family. Couture did not comment on the identities of the victims.
The cause of the fire remains unknown, Couture said. The investigation into the circumstances has now been transferred to the Montreal police arson unit.
The Canadian Red Cross has deployed staff to assist residents displaced by the fire.