Police are investigating after an empty industrial building in Old Montreal caught fire Thursday night.
The fire began around 11 p.m., forcing the evacuation of 10 neighbouring residential units on Soeurs-Grises Street.
Montreal police said the fire appears to be criminal in nature and has been transferred to the arson squad for further investigation.
The Montreal police arson squad is investigating the fire.
When firefighters arrived at the scene, they found a 52-year-old man on the third floor of the empty building. He was brought to the hospital for smoke inhalation treatment, where he is also being detained by police to be questioned.
“There are certain elements found at the scene that lead us to believe that this may be a voluntary act,” said Montreal police spokesperson Abdullah Emran.
The Montreal fire department extinguished the blaze around 4 a.m. and no one else was injured. Police are on the scene to determine the circumstances of the fire and whether or not the man was involved in starting it.
The burned industrial building was empty, except for one man found on the third floor. He is being treated for smoke inhalation.
