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A fire burning in an abandoned building on De Lorimier Avenue in Montreal has forced the closure of the Jacques-Cartier Bridge ahead of Wednesday morning’s rush hour.
The northbound lanes of the bridge heading into Montreal were initially closed at around 2:30 a.m. and then fully closed as of 6:15 a.m.
While the bridge itself is not affected, heavy smoke is spreading and authorities are also concerned the building could collapse.
Some 120 firefighters have been battling the blaze, which started at around 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday on the first floor of what was formerly an industrial building.
Éric Lafrance, a spokesperson for the Montreal fire department said the four-alarm fire broke out on the first floor of the heritage building, but quickly spread engulfing it completely.
As of 6 a.m., flames could be seen jutting from the roof, an indication the roof had collapsed on the inside of the building, according to Lafrance.
“We’re in defence mode,” he said, “we’re only applying water from the outside to extinguish the flames.”
WATCH | A four-alarm fire burns in Montreal heritage building:
Fire near Jacques-Cartier Bridge forces its closure during morning rush hour
Over 100 firefighters are working to put out the blaze in an abandoned building on De Lormier Avenue. The bridge itself is not affected, but smoke from the nearby fire is heavy.
Lafrance said the building, which was built in 1910, had been vacant for several years.
According to Héritage Montréal, the first occupant of the building was soap manufacturer Joseph Barsalou. It changed hands in 1935 after it was bought by Procter and Gamble and again in 1943 after Familex, a pharmaceutical company owned by Roméo Parent, purchased it and held on to it for 40 years.
Héritage Montréal says the building “is best known for the curve in the design it forced on the Jacques-Cartier Bridge.”
There are no reports of injuries and the cause of the fire is unknown.
