Historic Bon-Pasteur monastery in downtown Montreal catches fire

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The Monastre du Bon-Pasteur, a monastery in Montreal that dates back nearly two centuries, caught fire on Thursday and firefighters continued to battle the fire on Friday morning.

A spokesperson for Montreal's fire service says emergency services were called Thursday at around 4:30 p.m.More than 100 firefighters were called to the scene.

The five-alarm fire is mainly burning inthe roof but itisdifficult to fight because of thesize and complexity of the building,milie Barbeau-Charlevoix, a spokesperson for the Montreal fire department, said in an interview.

An Urgences-Sant spokesperson said two people were treated for minor injuries, a firefighter and a man in his 80s, who was found overnightin a part of the building that was not on fire. He was suffering from hypothermia, according toBarbeau-Charlevoix.

It's not clear yet how extensive the damage will be to the monastery, but the fire department said they believe the building will not be a total loss.

Smoke could still be seenfrom around the city on Friday morning. The historic building is located on Sherbrooke Street between de Bullion and St-Dominique streets.

WATCH |Watch crews work to extinguish the fire:

Fire crews fight flames at Montreal monastery

1 year ago

Duration 0:48

Watch crews work to extinguish the five-alarm fire at the historic Monastre du Bon-Pasteur in Montreal on Thursday.

Environment Canada issued a special air quality statement, warning of increased pollution in Montreal because of the smoke.

"Individuals may experience symptoms such as increased coughing, throat irritation, headaches or shortness of breath," the agency's statement said.

"Children, seniors, and those with cardiovascular or lung disease, such as asthma, are especially at risk. People with lung diseases, such as asthma and COPD, can be particularly sensitive to air pollution."

Montreal MayorValrie Planteurged people to avoid the area on Twitter. "It is still too early to see the damage to the precious heritage building," she said.

The monastery was built in 1846. The greystone building has a central body that is crossed by three perpendicular wings. Apresbytery was added in 1896.

It was built to accommodate the activities of the sisters of Notre-Dame du Bon-Pasteur d'Angers. According to Hritage Montral, the monastery, like McGill University a little further west, was among the first public institutions established along Sherbrooke Street.Hritage Montralalso has its offices in the building.

The monastery retained its religious vocation until the 1960s.

It was designated a heritage building in 1979.It was then acquired in1984 by theSocit immobilire du patrimoine architectural de Montral (SIMPA).

The monastery now serves as a multi-service centre that includes a seniors' residence,a housing co-operative, a daycare and condominiums. About 20 peopleare beingcared for by the Canadian Red Cross.

Hritage Montral spokesperson Anthony Paysaid organization employees were in the building when everybody inside was ordered to clear out.

"A lot of smoke. We saw the firemen coming," he said. "We feel very sad because atHritage Montralwe work with heritage every day and we see buildings on fire, like the one in Old Montreal, every week."

Watching thevery building they work in catch on fire is a tragedy, he said.

Eileen MacKinnon lives in the building. She said she was shopping when she saw smoke coming out of the centre of the structure, and then it travelled along the roof.

"Now it has spread and it is coming out the main vents," she said on Thursday, indicating the fire appearedto be working its way over to some of the residential units.

She said it is sad to see the historic buildingdamaged. It's a lively space, she said, with music in the chapel regularly and an art gallery.

"There are no words," MacKinnon said.