The body of one victim has been recovered from the rubble of an Old Montreal heritage building ravaged by fire on Thursday, while six other people are still missing, officials said at a news conference Sunday night.
This is the first confirmed death since the blaze, which tore through the three-storey, 15-unit residential building at the intersection of Place d’Youville and Saint-Nicolas Street.
Steve Belzil, commander of the Montreal police arson squad, said the victim’s body was pulled from the rubble at 6:45 p.m. local time.
“The steps to identify this victim will be taken by our partners in the forensic scientific laboratory,” he said.
No other details about the victim, including their gender or where they were located in the building, were released.
Demolition crews began dismantling the building’s top two floors on Sunday. Firefighters have yet to be able to safely enter the building.
Police say it is still too early to determine the cause of the fire.
“Our goal is for the investigation to shed light on this tragedy and provide answers for the families affected,” Belzil said.