The Ottawa Hotel, a century-old building in downtown Saint-Hyacinthe, was completely destroyed by fire.
The occupants of the building where there are 30 residential units and three commercial premises are on the street.
The fire, which broke out around 11 p.m., destroyed the building. Demolition of the building, which was unstable, began Friday morning.
The exact cause of the fire has not yet been determined, according to Brigitte Massé, director of communications and citizen participation for the City of Saint-Hyacinthe.
Firefighters were called to the scene for a debris fire outside, he said.
” But upon arriving at the scene they found that there was also a fire in the basement of the building that quickly blazed up to the top floor. It was really a sudden and violent fire. “
Many poor people live upstairs. Cheap rentals in Saint-Hyacinthe are very rareconfessed by a resident, who was visibly affected by the loss of this heritage building.
In December 2019, the sale of the Ottawa Hotel was reported to be worth $ 1.25 million, The Courier of Saint-Hyacinthe recalled that the building was built in 1903 following a fire that devastated the city center. The fire destroyed the least 29 squares of houses.
There is information from Élyse Allard
Source: Radio-Canada
