One person found dead in apartment building after fire in Trois-Rivieres, Que.

911 emergency services line. FILE PHOTO (Daniel J. Rowe/CTV NEWS)

A fire that broke out in an apartment building in Trois-Rivières, Que., claimed one life on Tuesday.

The cause of the blaze is under investigation.

Emergency services were notified at around 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday that a fire was in progress in a residential building on Notre-Dame Street East.

"According to preliminary information, the destructive element originated on the eighth floor before spreading to the ninth," Trois-Rivières police (DPTR) said in a summary of the facts.

The general alarm was triggered, prompting the deployment of some 90 firefighters from Trois-Rivières, Shawinigan and Saint-Maurice.

The fire was finally extinguished around 6 p.m.

"During the operation, a victim was found unconscious in one of the dwellings, and was pronounced dead at the scene. In view of these facts, the case was transferred to the DPTR for a coroner's inquest," police said.

Investigators, specialized fire investigators, and a forensic identification technician were dispatched to the scene.

They will try to understand the causes and circumstances of this fatal fire, which are still unknown.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Sept. 18, 2024.