(Quebec) A 66-year-old man lost his life in a fire at a residence in Limoilou, Quebec, on Sunday.

The firefighters intervened around 12:30 p.m. for the presence of smoke at 1310, avenue Francois-1er. On site, they had to request reinforcements because of the confirmed risk of the fire spreading.

The chief called for a second alarm, which brought about 30 firefighters to battle the blaze. All nearby homes were evacuated.

The 66-year-old man, located by the firefighters, was evacuated, but his death was pronounced on the spot, reports the sergeant in the communications of the Service of police of the City of Quebec, David Poitras.

“Note that there were no smoke alarms inside the apartment,” adds the sergeant.

The fire was brought under control at 12:47 p.m. The flames have not spread to the other apartments in the building, which has 12, according to firefighters.

“Given that this is a fire with death, there will be concerted investigation work between the fire department, investigators from the Quebec City Police Service and the coroner to determine the causes. and the circumstances surrounding the deaths and the fire,” Poitras explains.

If the cause of the fire is not yet known, he indicates that the criminal hypothesis would be ruled out for the moment.

He specifies that the majority of the evacuees were able to return to their homes and that none of the victims had to be taken care of by the Red Cross.

The two-story building, located near Parc de l’Anse-à-Cartier, was built in 1945 and includes 11 rental units in rows, according to the property assessment roll of the City of Quebec.

The building’s owner, a numbered company identifying itself as Everell Rentals on social media, said it was not immediately available for comment when contacted by The Canadian Press.