Quebec police say three people dead, eight injured in apartment fire

DRUMMONDVILLE, Que. – Quebec provincial police say three people died in a fire in a Quebec apartment complex on Thursday.

Police are only confirming three bodies were found, but did not immediately provide any identities or details on the victims.

A spokesperson for the Quebec coroner’s office says two of the three victims have been formally identified.

But Genevieve Guilbault says out of respect for the families, the names won’t be released until Friday.

Eight other people were injured in the fire in Drummondville, midway between Montreal and Quebec City.

One witness to the fire described the scene as “apocalyptic,” with residents screaming from their balconies.

The cause of the fire remains unclear but was believed to have started on the second floor of the three-storey, 30-unit building.

Provincial police Sgt. Aurelie Guindon did not specify the extent of the injuries suffered by the eight people.

Occupant Isabelle Sawyer escaped after people knocked at her door to tell her to flee her first-floor apartment.

“When we got out, I saw the flames, the smoke,” she told RDI, Radio-Canada’s all-news channel. “It was burning like a house of cards. I heard people screaming on balconies. It was apocalyptic.”

About 50 firefighters from the town and surrounding communities had the blaze under control a few hours after it began in the wee hours.

Georges Gagnon, head of the Drummondville fire service, said smoke filled the building very quickly.

“When the firefighters arrived on the scene, there were flames on the second floor and a lot of smoke on the third,” Gagnon said.

“There were people on balconies, so the priority was getting to these people and making sure they were safe and sound.”

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today