30 lacking right after Quebec senior residence fire; 5 dead - Yahoo NewsL'ISLE-VERTE, Quebec (AP) " ...

1. 30 missing after Quebec senior home fire; 5 dead
30 lacking right after Quebec senior residence fire; 5 dead - Yahoo News
L'ISLE-VERTE, Quebec (AP) " Investigators were wanting to pick through your icy rubble of a
charred seniors' facility within Quebec Friday to become able to try to identify much more victims of
your fire in which killed at least five and left with regards to 30 missing. The Particular residence for
your elderly now resembles a new macabre frozen palace, together with sheets associated with ice
and thick icicles covering the particular destroyed structure.
Canada's prime minister stated there is little doubt the death toll would climb inside the eastern
Quebec town of L'Isle-Verte, exactly where sub-freezing temperatures possess hampered the
particular recovery effort. Quebec Provincial Police Lt. Guy Lapointe said your death toll remains the
identical pertaining to now as well as an update remains uncertain since of the extreme cold along
with ice. He stated three research teams associated with police, firefighters and coroners tend to be
going through wreckage inside shifts and using steam in order to melt the actual ice.
The trigger of Thursday's early morning blaze remains unclear.
Witnesses informed horrific tales involving viewing folks die within the blaze. Nearly All with the
residents probably by simply no means stood a chance to escape " many of these were over 85, had
minimum mobility and also were confined to wheelchairs or even walkers.
Pascal Fillion mentioned he observed somebody work with a ladder to attempt to rescue a man
cornered about his third-floor balcony. the man has been crying out with regard to help just before
he fell to the ground engulfed inside flames.
A Quebec Well Being Department document signifies the particular residence, which usually has
operated since 1997, had only a partial sprinkler system. the facility expanded about 2002 and
furthermore the sprinklers inside the new a portion of the particular building triggered the alarm.
L'Isle-Verte Fire Chief Yvan Charron mentioned his colleagues were in the position to obtain towards
the portion in the building that will remained standing, whilst the rest remained inaccessible.
Quebec Minister involving Social services Veronique Hivon mentioned many in the volunteer
firefighters from your little city involving regarding 1,500 had relatives within the residence. He
mentioned psychologists will probably be knocking on doors all through the city to end up being able
to offer help.
"People are usually in the state of shock," Hivon said. "We want these to be aware of solutions tend
to be there by simply heading door to door. It's an important creating that's a part of their own
neighborhood that merely disappeared."
Hivon said your residence met code and stood a appropriate evacuation plan.
The huge fire in the three-story constructing erupted in about 12:30 a.m. Thursday and swiftly
spread. Firefighters arrived inside eight minutes regarding obtaining the alarm and also a number of
fire departments inside the region were called in in order to help, however these were not in the
position to have out a whole evacuation simply because of the fire's intensity. Lapointe requested
your public for nearly any video or perhaps pictures with the fire within an effort to assist determine

2. its cause.
About 20 residents had been transported for you to safety.
The fire broke out in -4 Fahrenheit (-20 Celsius) temperatures, causing equipment in order to freeze,
Charron said. the fire had been put out totally overnight. Officials mentioned the particular amount
regarding h2o utilized to place out fire has drained the particular city reservoir and they've issued a
new drinking water boil advisory.
Agnes Fraser's 82-year-old brother, Claude, ended up being among the missing, however the lady
said the girl knew she could not discover him again while he lived in the area involving the
constructing destroyed from the flames.
"It's done," Fraser said.
The fire arrives just 6 a couple of months after 47 individuals were killed inside Lac-Megantic,
Quebec, each time a train with 72 oil tankers derailed and exploded in the small community.
In 1969, any nursing home fire within the community associated with Notre-Dame-du-Lac, Quebec,
claimed 54 lives.
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Associated Press writer Rob Gillies in Toronto contributed to this report.
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