A building on Wellington Street South in Sherbrooke is engulfed in flames.
Initial information indicates the building is at 16 Wellington Street South. The fire would be at the rear.
The column of smoke is still visible from several kilometers away.
Wellington Street South is completely closed to traffic in the area. Wellington Streets North and South and King West are closed. People on Galt and Grandes-Fourches streets on their way home should definitely avoid King Street as much as possible, said deputy mayor Raïs Kibbonge.
At a press conference, Sherbrooke Fire Protection Service (SPCIS) Director Martin Primeau announced that all Sherbrooke firefighters were on scene battling the flames. There are currently 40 firefighters on duty. We are in protection mode because all the buildings are glued together.
The SPCIS indicates that it is in the fourth alarm state.
At this time, firefighters do not know what caused the fire. An investigator is already on site to investigate the incident. But we know that no one was injured and that the residents of the 14 houses were evacuated, he added.
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The fire started at the back of the building.
Photo: Courtesy: Marc-André Houle
Sounds of explosions can be heard
We don't know the circumstances of the fire. A good Samaritan set off our building alarm. We went out immediately. The firefighters told us that a cylinder had exploded. There is a possibility that gas is present. “We are being evacuated,” said an employee at an office in that building.
When I opened my office door to go out, the smoke quickly spread throughout our premises. While we were going out, someone wanted to bring us an order and told us that there was a fire nearby. We heard the first explosion. Then there was a second, louder explosion outside. “I was asked to leave quickly,” said an employee at the Liverpool restaurant.
On Facebook, Liverpool owner Annie Faucher said the fire started in Gest-Immo, the building next to her restaurant. It was a car that caught fire from behind. The galleries behind the Bla Bla were burning.
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A fire rages at a building on Wellington Street South in Sherbrooke.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Bertrand Galipeau
The power is out in the area.
Further information follows.