120 firefighters fight 5-alarm fire on St-Denis
Fire started in cellar before spreading up pipes of building
A fire broke out in the cellar of the Universel restaurant on St-Denis Street, closed three blocks and cut power to the area Sunday morning.
The five-alarm fire in the building near the corner of Cherrier Street crawled up three floors, into the homes above, and forced 10 people out. No one was injured.
A restaurant is on the building's first floors, with apartments occupying the two storeys above it.
The fire started around 6:30 a.m. and spread through the building's pipes, which Montreal Fire Department Operations Chief John Primiani said is not unusual. He added that 120 firefighters were sent to battle the fire.
"They're slowly getting it under control. There's still a lot of work to do, but I don't think [the building] will be a total loss," he said.
Fire department investigators are looking into what caused the fire. They are not considering it suspicious.