A massive fifth-alarm fire broke out on the roof of a four-story residential apartment building in Montreal's Petite-Bourgogne neighborhood on Sunday afternoon, prompting an extensive emergency response. More than 150 firefighters were deployed to battle the blaze near the historic Atwater Market, which forced the evacuation of 24 apartments and caused a partial roof collapse. Local emergency officials confirmed that no injuries were reported among residents or responding crews.
Emergency response and firefighting operations
The fire began around 3:30 p.m. local time on Sunday at the intersection of Sainte-Cunégonde and Lévis streets in the Sud-Ouest borough of Montreal, according to reports from local outlets La Presse and Radio-Canada. The flames initially broke out near the roof level of the four-story complex before spreading directly into the attic structure, where crews faced severe difficulties containing the flames.
As conditions worsened, the Service de sécurité incendie de Montréal (SIM), the city's fire department, escalated the emergency to a fifth alarm—the highest severity rating for a fire response in Montreal. Key details of the operational response include:
Firefighter deployment: More than 150 firefighters and numerous support vehicles arrived at the scene.
Evacuations: Residents from all 24 units in the primary structure, as well as four units in an adjacent connected building, were evacuated.
Perimeter management: The Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) managed surrounding traffic, while utility crews executed targeted power outages in the immediate vicinity for safety.
Visual impact: Smoke and flames rising from the rooftop were visible miles away from Mount Royal Park.
Severe damage and displacement of residents
Officials from the SIM reported that firefighters fought the blaze well into the night, focusing heavily on extinguishing hot spots within the roof and attic spaces. Eric Lafrance, a section chief with the SIM, noted during the evening response that crew members had encountered a partial collapse of the roof in one section of the building. Section chief Émilie Barbeau-Charlebois added that the complex operations were expected to require hours of intensive work through the night.
While firefighters prevented loss of life, the full scale of structural, fire, and water damage across the 28 total housing units remains under assessment. Emergency officials confirmed that all residents were accounted for, declaring that no individuals were missing or hurt. To support those left without shelter, representatives from the Canadian Red Cross arrived on site to assist displaced families with emergency support and temporary lodging arrangements.
Unusual frequency of top-tier fire alarms
Reaching a fifth alarm is a rare event for Montreal's fire service. Division chief Martin Guilbault told Radio-Canada that while calling in such a high number of reinforcements does not happen often, firefighters are specifically trained for maximum-level deployments.
"A fifth alarm is rare. We don't want them, but when it happens, we are ready to take care of it," Guilbault explained.
Guilbault noted that while the city experienced no fifth-alarm fires throughout the summer months, this event marked the second fifth-alarm call within a two-week span, following a separate major blaze in Montreal's Saint-Michel neighborhood.
Investigating the cause
As of late Sunday evening, fire investigators had not yet identified what sparked the blaze on the building's roof. Authorities have requested that members of the public avoid the immediate area surrounding Sainte-Cunégonde and Lévis streets while crews complete overhaul operations and investigators begin examining the structural remains.
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