1 dead after fire in Trois-Rivires, Que., social housing complex, 30 units unlivable

A fire in a social housing complex inTrois-Riviresleft one person dead and the residents of 30 households without a home Tuesday evening.

Police say the fire broke out around 2:15 p.m. at theHabitations du Vieux-Moulinand is believed to have started on the eighth floor and spread to the ninth.

More than 90 firefighters from theTrois-Rivires fire department and other nearby towns arrived to help put out the blaze.A total of 150 people were evacuated from the building.

Police say the victim was found unconscious in one of theunits and was pronounced dead at the scene.

A coroner's inquest was opened and authorities are working to determine the cause and origin of the fire.

Some 30 units in the low-income housing complex, known as anHLMin French,will be unable to accommodate their tenants againdue to fire damage.

Inspections of the other units are underway to determine whether the remaining tenants will be able to move back in soon.TheOffice municipal d'habitationde Trois-Rivires, which manages the HLM,estimates it willtake three days to complete the analysis of the building.

The Red Cross is supporting the building's residents and the City of Trois-Rivires will set up a shelter to accommodate them.

"We are in close contact with the Red Cross to provide logistical and administrative support for disaster victims for the first 72 hours," said Trois-Rivires city manager Franois Vaillancourt.