Food bank destroyed, seniors' home evacuated after church fire in Montreal's Sud-Ouest
CBC
A Montreal food bank was lost and more than 70 seniors have been forced from their residence after a nearby church fire spread to their building in the early hours of Monday in the Sud-Ouest borough.
"It's very sad," said Roger Mpemudjir Kilanga, head of La Main Qui Partage, a food bank that, in operation since 2013, serves thousands every year.
A five-alarm fire broke out at the church near the corner of De l'Église Avenue and Laurendeau Street around 1:30 a.m., according to a spokesperson for Montreal's fire department, Émilie Barbeau-Charlebois.
In total, 148 people were forced to leave the area, said Barbeau-Charlebois.
She said firefighters evacuated the seniors' home located just beside the church as a preventive measure.
The church fire then spread to the residence where it became a two-alarm fire.
The church was unoccupied when the fire broke out. No injuries have been reported and the Red Cross is looking after the evacuees.
The church site belongs to the Catholic Church of Montreal and was being rented by the Saint Nicholas Romanian Orthodox Church. That parish is now crowdfunding to help its relocation to another space.
"We are currently working in collaboration with the leaders of these communities," it wrote in a statement to CBC News. "The diocese is in contact with local authorities to better understand the circumstances surrounding the incident."
La Main Qui Partage food bank was also renting the church basement, and now the director says the administration is desperately looking for a new place to restart operations, but donations are needed — funds, food and more.
Along with food support, the organization also offers clothing, resources for seniors and educational programs for families and youth.
Mpemudjir Kilanga said support for the organization is needed, and he is asking people to reach out.
Borough mayor Véronique Fournier took to Facebook Monday, thanking the fire service for its effort to extinguish the blaze.
"This site is located in the historic heart of Côte-Saint-Paul and holds a special significance for many of us; members of our community were married there and celebrated important life milestones within its walls," she wrote.
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