A fire that swept through a heritage building in downtown Montreal was brought under control Saturday about 42 hours after it first began, the city’s fire department said.
The blaze broke out late Thursday afternoon at the Monastère du Bon Pasteur, a 19th century former monastery, and quickly became a five-alarm fire requiring the intervention of 150 firefighters.
It proved difficult to tame because of the construction and materials used in the building. Authorities believe the fire began in the attic but had difficulty reaching the source.
Émilie Barbeau-Charlebois, section chief at the Montreal fire department, said Saturday both the cause of the fire and an estimate of damages remained unknown….