The Old Port fire turns tragic: 6 people missing

A major fire took place Thursday in a heritage building in Old Montreal.

At least six people are still missing, following the devastating fire that affected a heritage building in Place d'Youville Thursday, in Old Montreal.

This is what the Montreal Police Department (SPVM) and the Fire Safety Service (SIM) revealed on Saturday morning, during a press briefing.

“Information validated in the last hours from various sources allows us to believe that there may be victims inside the rubble,” said the division chief at the Fire Safety Service. of Montreal (SIM), Martin Guilbault.

Faced with the extent of the damage, it is still not possible for firefighters and police to enter the building to carry out searches in a safe manner, says the SIM .

Authorities relied on testimonies from people affected by the blaze, families reporting missing relatives and information circulating on social media to determine that at least six people were still wanted.

At this stage the identity of the missing has not been revealed.

Among the nine people hospitalized Thursday in the wake of the fire, two of them are still receiving care at the burns center.

The SIM and the SPVM indicate that they need several days, even several weeks, to be able to determine the circumstances in which the fire started.