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Investigation of a five-alarm fire in a vacant three-storey building on Robert-Burns St., near Côte-St-Luc Rd., in the Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough has been turned over to the Montreal police department’s arson squad by the Montreal fire department.
Police patrolling the area spotted smoke coming from the building at about 4:30 a.m. and requested assistance from the fire department, police spokesperson Caroline Chèvrefils said Sunday afternoon.
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Once firefighters had access to the interior, they were able to determine the fire had been deliberately set, she said. The investigation was transferred to the arson unit at about noon on Sunday.
There were no injuries.
The first floor of the empty building had previously held commercial establishments and the second and third floors were residential.
The fire started on the second floor and spread to the third floor and the roof, said George Bele, a spokesperson for the fire department, the Service de sécurité incendie de Montréal.
More than 100 firefighters were required, he said. The fire was under control by midday Sunday, but still burning.
The building sustained serious damage, Chèvrefils said, adding arson investigators would be able to enter the building to analyze the scene once the firefighters’ intervention was complete and the scene was safe. Meanwhile, the investigation continues.
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