Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Fire as wrecking ball tradition alive and well in Montreal

Plus ça change...

More than 100 firefighters battled a major fire Tuesday night on the future site of a major redevelopment project on Montreal’s St-Laurent Boulevard.

The fire started around 7:30 p.m. in a vacant building next to the Café Cleopatra, between Ste-Catherine Street and René Lévesque Boulevard.

The fire started on the third floor of the building, said Richard Laporte, the Montreal Fire Department's chief of operations.

Adjoining buildings were evacuated.

One firefighter suffered minor injuries after falling through a hole in the building.

The cause of the fire was suspicious, Laporte said, adding there may have been squatters living inside.

Earlier this month, the City of Montreal approved plans to redevelop the city’s red-light district. The plans include the construction of a 12-storey office tower.

The Café Cleopatra has been one of the last holdouts fighting the plan.

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