Montreal police investigating 'suspicious' Sud-Ouest fire

Montreal police are investigatinga five-alarm fire in Montreal's Sud-Ouest borough that took place overnight.

Caroline Chvrefils, a spokesperson for Montreal police, confirmed that the city's fire department transferred the file to the policearson squad.

The cause of the fire is not yet known, but Montreal fire department spokesperson Alain Laflamme says it is considered "suspicious."

Laflamme says firefighters were called to the building on Saint-Jacques, near Sainte-Marguerite around 11:15 p.m. Saturday.

He says when firefighters arrived, they found flames on the first floor of the three-storey greystonebuilt in the 1940s. When they entered, they found the floor was full of embersand riddled with holes.

About 150 firefighters were on the scene at the height of the blaze, said Laflamme.

He says they had to evacuate residents from 25 units in the building, and eight families are now under the care of the Red Cross.

None of the residents will be able to return to their apartments. No injuries were reported.