A fire in an auditorium in the Jeanne Mance pavilion of the Hôtel-Dieu Hospital on St-Urbain St. was quickly brought under control by Montreal firefighters Wednesday afternoon.
The call came in at 3:47 p.m. about smoke emanating from 3840 St. Urbain St. About 60 firefighters in 20 vehicles were dispatched to the scene.
Montreal Fire Service Operations Chief Luc Robillard said that number of vehicles was necessary in case patients in the hospital had to be evacuated. In the end, the fire was found to be in the wall of a first floor auditorium where renovations had been underway Wednesday.
Some patients whose rooms were on the other side of the wall were temporary relocated to other rooms, but there were no reported injuries or problems with smoke inhalation, Robillard said.
He estimated the damage to the historic stone building at about $50,000. The contractor responsible for the renovation work to the auditorium was being questioned by fire department investigators yesterday.
St. Urbain St. was closed between Rachel St. and Pine Avenue for about an hour and a half.
A fireman climbs onto the roof of an auditorium building of Hôtel-Dieu Hospital in Montreal, Wednesday April 20, 2016.
A fireman looks towards the smoke coming from the auditorium building of Hôtel-Dieu hospital in Montreal, Wednesday April 20, 2016.
